Enniskillen Court House, RMGFH03
AN ENNISKILLEN man who engaged in what a judge said was the worst case of disorderly behaviour he had seen has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Ivan Crawford (23) of Galliagh Park, Enniskillen was charged with two counts of assault on police, two counts of disorderly behaviour, and one count of resisting police in connection with three separate incidents in July, September and November 2015.
The first incident happened on July 6, when police were responding to a crash on the Derrylin Road in Enniskillen. Traffic was slow moving, and Crawford attempted to overtake a lorry in his Volkswagen Golf. A female officer stopped Crawford, who told her to “f**k off” and started to shout. The officer requested back-up.
The second incident happened on September 19, when police on patrol on the Sligo Road in Enniskillen observed a man trying to get access to a first floor flat. The man was standing on Crawford’s shoulders, and when police asked the defendant for his details he said “sure you know me, you’re always harassing me.”
Finally, on November 5 at approximately 5.40pm, police were on patrol in Windmill Heights, Enniskillen when Crawford began walking alongside their car. He looked up and shouted at the. When the officers stopped the patrol car, Crawford attacked one of the constables and began shouting profanities at them.
When the officers, who had to request back-up, tried to arrest Crawford he struggled with them and they had to push him against their patrol car in order to place handcuffs on him.
Defence barrister Stephen Fitzpatrick said Crawford, who had been involved in a robbery on a petrol station in Donegal last year, had a difficult background but added that was “no excuse for his behaviour” which he said was “inappropriate” and “obnoxious.”
Referring to a pre-sentencing report, District Judge Desmond Perry responded that “maybe if he stopped taking legal highs it would help his mental state.”
Stating that he believed drugs were “scrambling his brain”, Judge Perry said Crawford had “brought an awful lot of this on himself” and said he was “sorely tempted” to impose a custodial sentence, however some time had passed since he had last been before the court.
In total, for all charges, Judge Perry sentenced Crawford to 10 months in prison, suspended for three years, warning him if he continued with his behaviour he would be going “straight to prison”
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