AN ENNISKILLEN teenager has been sentenced to prison for an assault his elderly disabled neighbour.
Jordan Beckett (19), with an address at Coolcullen Meadow, pleaded guilty to common assault at Enniskillen Magistrates Court via video link from Hydebank Prison, where he is currently in prison.
The charge related to an incident on Friday, January 7 this year when, at around 11.20am, police received a report from a 74-year-old man in Enniskillen that he had been assaulted.
The man told police he had seen the defendant and a female looking at his car, and he went out and asked them what they were doing.
Beckett then hit out at the man, who used a crutch, causing him to fall over.
The man gave a description of Beckett and the female to police, describing his clothes and a distinctive scab on his nose. A neighbour also provided a description of the defendant.
Beckett, who lived close by the man, was arrested a short time later nearby on the Cornagrade Road.
In his police interview Beckett was aggressive, and he said that the older man was “being a bollox.”
Beckett said he had only been looking at his reflection in the car when the man came out and hit him with his crutch. He said he had hit the man “in self-defence.”
Defence barrister, Ciaran Roddy said the incident demonstrated Beckett’s inability to deal with adverse situations without resorting to violence.
Mr Roddy said it was fortunate the man did not suffer any injury, and said that Beckett had maintained he was only looking at the reflection of the scab on his nose at the time.
The barrister added Beckett had a difficult background, and had developed substance issues as a coping mechanism. He said Probation Services were helping him through those issues.
Deputy District Judge, Trevor Browne said Beckett’s behaviour “speaks for itself” and pointed to the account the defendant gave in his police interview of what happened.
“Who is likely to be the aggressor, the elderly disabled man or the young man with an appalling record?” the judge asked.
Judge Browne said the case was “so bad” he had no option but to impose a custodial sentence. He sentenced Beckett to six months in prison and activated two months of a suspended sentence from a previous offence, bringing his sentence to a total sentence to eight months in custody.
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