An 18-year-old man has been fined £150 and ordered to pay compensation to a police constable he assaulted. 

At Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Caolan Hackett of Clabby View, Clabby, Fivemiletown was charged with assaulting a police officer and disorderly behaviour. 

The court heard that police were contacted by a member of the public on April 17th who told them that Hackett was trying to start a fight at Main Street in Fivemiletown. 

When police attended, Hackett was aggressive and shouting, telling them to “f*** off”. He refused to get into a police van when arrested and headbutted a constable in the jaw. 

Defence solicitor Niall Bogue said the incident was “out of character” for his client, who is an apprentice joiner. 

“He is a young man dealing with family issues and this was an attempt to forget his problems by drinking to excess,” said Mr Bogue. 

He added that Hackett had a low likelihood of re-offending and had expressed his regret and remorse to the police constable concerned.  District Judge Nigel Broderick said: “Thankfully the officer was not seriously injured in the incident. If he had been, this defendant would be facing a more stringent sentence. He appears to be a hard working young man and in employment which is not easy in the current climate.

 Hopefully this is a one-off incident and won’t be repeated.” Hackett was fined £75 on each charge and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the police constable.