Behaviour '˜ingrained on daughter for life'

At a previous court Kieran Michael Little, Deacon Street, Belfast, admitted that between March 16 and March 17 this year he pursued a course of conduct which amounted to harassment of a female.

He also admitted causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety by improper use of a public communications system.

Little was further charged with making a threat to a female to damage or destroy a door belonging to her at Hillcrest, Lurgan.

The case was adjourned so that a pre-sentence report could be obtained.

The court heard that between 12.30am and 1.15am the injured party received 18 messages and three calls of an abusive nature from the defendant, her ex-partner.

She told him she was blocking and not to contact her but received another 11 messages and two missed calls.

At eight in the morning she sent another message not to contact her and received another nine messages.

On March 17 just after midnight when her nine-year-old daughter was sleeping there was a knock on the door and on seeing the defendant there she closed the door.

Little began shouting, banging and kicking the door and called the child’s name through the letterbox to come and let him in.

Little also said: “I’ll kick the s—t out of anyone in the house.”

The injured party then phoned the police.

District Judge, Mrs Bernie Kelly, told Little this was ‘appalling behaviour’ where a child had to listen to this when he appeared in a drunken state in front of his daughter.

“It will be ingrained in her mind or the rest of her natural life,” said the judge. “You tend to forget the woman you are fighting with is the same child’s mother. How is she going to interpret the situation when you cause upset to her mother.

“You were calling her name out to get out of bed and let you in during the early hours of the morning.”

For each of the offences Judge Kelly sentenced Little to four months in prison, suspended for two years.