Enniskillen Court House RMG10
A MAN who tried to bite a police officer after being arrested for shouting and cursing at police has been sentenced to three months in prison.
Gerard McDonagh (35) of Windmill Heights in Enniskillen appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday via video link from Maghaberry Prison, where he pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour, resisting police, and assault on police.
At approximately 9.45pm on June 13 police were dealing with a road traffic incident at Drumawill Gardens in Enniskillen regarding another individual when McDonagh, a front seat passenger in the vehicle the officer were attending, started shouting at them, calling them “bastards.”
When McDonagh was arrested he said “I don’t give a f**k” to police and he had to be handcuffed. Then, when he was taken to Enniskillen Police Station, the defendant attempted to bit an officer, who managed to pull his arm out of the way before McDonagh could apply pressure.
Defence barrister Ciaran Roddy said while McDonagh had been arrested on foot of a bench warrant, the defendant had previously made enquiries through his solicitor about whether a warrant for him had been issued. Mr Roddy said McDonagh had then entered a guilty plea as early as possible.
The barrister explained McDonagh was very drunk at the time of the incident, stating that alcohol had a particularly potent affect on the defendant due to medication he was taking for mental health difficulties.
Mr Roddy added that while McDonagh had 19 previous convictions in this jurisdiction, he had a limited record of previous offending with the majority of his previous offences for road traffic matters and theft, and only two for public order dating to 2007. He said such behaviour was unusual for McDonagh, and added his disorderly conduct and resisting had been “short lived.”
District Judge Nigel Broderick sentenced McDonagh to three months in prison.
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