Enniskillen Court House, RMGFH03
FATHER-of two has escaped jail after a street fight with another man resulted in a dent in a van which was parked nearby.
Terence McCordick of Killygullan Drive in Lisnaskea was charged with criminal damage when he appeared before Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Wednesday for sentencing.
A spokesman for the Public Prosecution Service outlined that at 2pm on June 30th 2015, police received a report of two males fighting outside Topshop in Enniskillen over a mobile phone which had been stolen by a female.
During the fight the defendant grabbed his victim and rammed his head into a Ford Transit van which was parked in the area, resulting in damage estimated at £1,048.
The court was told that McCordick had offered to pay for the damage caused to the van at the time of the incident and on numerous occasions since then while the victim did not subsequently press charges against him.
McCordick’s solicitor said the incident had arisen from an impulsive and wreckless altercation between the two males which had not been premeditated. The solicitor added that her client had come to court with £500 in compensation for the van owner and was prepared to pay up and not walk away from his responsibility.
Referring to a pre-sentence report which had been prepared in the case, she said McCordick, who has a suspended sentence over an unrelated matter, had never had the chance to give something back to the community.
She said that this rather option of community service than a custodial sentence would allow him to continue to turn his life around and move away from a pattern of re-offending while also enabling him to care for his two young children.
The court heard that the van had since been sold on by the injured party in a damaged condition for £800 less than its value because of the dent.
District Judge Nigel Broderick noted that McCordick had a very poor record and was in breach of a suspended sentence but because of his childcare arrangements, he was going to give him a chance.
McCordick was sentenced to 200 hours community service and ordered to pay £800 compensation to the injured party. He was also warned that if he breached the order imposed by the court, he would face a custodial sentence.
The judge added that it was bizarre that the other male involved in the fight had not made a complaint against the defendant.
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