Enniskillen Court House, RMGFH04
A 22-year-old Derrygonnelly woman who damaged a hospital cubicle, damaged a pharmacy photo developing machine beyond repair and assaulted a shop worker in an unprovoked attack has been sent to prison for six months.
Julie-Anne Fenton appeared via videolink from Hydebank Prison at Enniskillen Magistrates Court in relation to three separate incidents.
The prosecutor first outlined that on January 7, 2016 during the afternoon Fenton entered Cathcart Pharmacy in Derrygonnelly, where she was well-known. The defendant then opened a bottle of camomile lotion and attempted to drink it before Geoffrey Cathcart intervened.
She then knocked over a number of hair colouring products before then turning her attention to the photo developing machine in the pharmacy. Fenton grabbed it and threw it on the ground. The court heard that the machine no longer works and the cost of the damage was estimated at £2,200 plus VAT. A day later on January 8, 2016 at 7pm police attended the South West Acute Hospital in response to concerns for the safety of Fenton, who had earlier been brought in by a social worker. She had caused damage to a hospital cubicle to the value of £484.53. Officers located her in a restricted area of the hospital where she had locked herself in a store room.
In another incident on January 18, 2016 at 2.45pm a staff member at Claire’s Accessories in the Erneside Shopping Centre reported to police that she was assaulted by Fenton in an unprovoked attack. The court heard that the defendant punched the injured party knocking her glasses off. After she was arrested Fenton was brought to the Omagh Police Station and here she attempted to punch the civilian detention officer and then tried to spit at him. She further attempted to destroy a wall clock at the station.
Defence solicitor Michael Fahy said there was a “myriad” of different types of offending. He told the court Fenton was diagnosed with a “significant mental impairment” and noted previous time spent at Granshagh Psychiatric Hospital. Due to her mental state Mr Fahy said that his client’s behaviour was “almost beyond her control” and she was not clear on what was right and what was wrong.
The defence said Fenton’s mental illness was one of the “principal causatory factors” for her behaviour and asked for credit for her early guilty pleas.
District judge Nigel Broderick said he was satisfied the custody threshold had been crossed and noted these were serious matters. As well as imposing the prison sentence the judge chose to activate previous suspended sentences. While he noted that the injured parties may have deserved compensation, due to the defendant’s very limited means he chose not to impose any orders.
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