AN Enniskillen man has been refused bail after punching woman outside hospital following days long drug binge, court hears.
Appearing via video-link to Omagh Magistrates Court was Christopher Boyle (26) of Manor Heights.
Boyle faces the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of theft, criminal damage, and threats to damage property.
The court heard that on March 31 at 9am, a report was made by the injured party who alleged that Boyle had stolen her purse and phone at the South West Acute Hospital’s A&E department.
The police arrived at 9.30 and found the victim inside with injuries to her face.
Upon questioning the victim told the officers that Boyle had punched her above her left eye.
Police saw the CCTV footage which showed the defendant and the victim outside of the hospital when Boyle punched the victim, causing her to fall to the ground.
The police then located the defendant outside, alongside the missing phone, however the purse and money was not found.
Boyle was arrested and attempted to resist the officers before being put into the cell van and during transport he began kicking at the walls of the cell.
The defendant then turned to one of the officers claiming to have seen him leaving his house that morning and threatened to ‘burn down’ the officer’s house.
On arrival at the police station, Boyle was searched and the £105 missing from the victim’s purse was found in his clothing.
However, at this stage Boyle was deemed unfit for interview, so a police superintendent had to extend custody time to allow the defendant to sober up.
Boyle requested to have a solicitor present for his interview, and he gave the police a phone number, however the police discovered it was the number of the victim.
When the defendant was fit for interview, he was shown the CCTV footage and admitted to all of the charges.
The police detective told the court that he was opposed to bail due to the risk of further offending, interference with the witness and having no address to be bailed to.
They added that Boyle had 40 previous convictions for violent offences and two actual bodily harm convictions against the victim, who was deemed ‘high risk’.
The detective added that in the formal statement given by the injured party, she claimed they were at the hospital due to Boyle having an overdose after ‘several days’ of drug taking.
Defence solicitor Conor Heaney informed the court that Boyle had ‘expressed shock’ when he seen the CCTV at interview and was remorseful at the time.
Mr Heaney argued against possibility of interference with the witness as Boyle had already admitted to the charge, noting that a conviction could be made without relying on the victim’s statement.
District judge Michael Ranaghan refused bail and said that ‘the injured party needs protection’.
Boyle will appear again before Enniskillen Magistrates Court on April 15.
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