Enniskillen Court House, RMGFH04
AN IRVINESTOWN man who punched a police officer and broke the light on a patrol car has been given a suspended sentence and warned to stay out of trouble.
Patrick McMulkin (18) of Sally’s Wood, Irvinestown appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court last Wednesday charged with resisting police, assaulted a police officer and criminal damage. The charges arose after an incident on April 2 this year, when police responded to a report of an altercation at McMulkin’s home.
When officers arrived at his house they arrested McMulkin, who started shouting “black b*****ds” and “f***ing w*****s” at them. He also began kicking out, and broke a light on the police patrol car. The cost of the damage to the car was £135.
McMulkin, who was on High Court bail at the time of the incident, continued shouting while on the way to the police station, and struggled while being taken to the holding cell, where he managed to free his hands and struck a police officer in the face with his fist three or four times.
Defence barrister Heather Phillips said McMulkin was “a young man who needs structure in his life” and who “needs to get away from legal highs.” She said since been granted strict High Court bail he had not breached any of this conditions, such as staying off drink and legal highs, and had not been in trouble since the incident in question. Ms Phillips said McMulkin, who had ten previous convictions, was a young man who had been appearing in court with increasing frequency in the past, but had now stopped.
Judge Broderick commented that the reasons for that my have been the strict bail conditions he was under, such as having a curfew and wearing a tag. He said having a suspended “hanging over him” meant there could “only be one outcome” for McMulkin if reoffended.
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