Carrick man made threat tokill in street

Philip John Hargey (39), whose address was given as Ellis Street, Carrickfergus, appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court on January 12.

Hargey admitted charges of making a threat to kill and possession of a knife in a public place - Kintyre Road - in the middle of the night, on December 18.

A prosecutor said police attended Kintyre Road on three occasions - the first being when the defendant reported feeling suicidal.

Then at 2.15am, he made a threat regarding the use a hatchet, and then at 3.15am, he said he would put a knife through a person’s throat.

When police arrived on that occasion, he was outside with a knife and said: “I’m going to kill them”.

Police told him to drop the knife, which he did.

During a police interview he said he had “good and bad days” and made an allegation regarding another person.

He admitted making the threat but said he would not have carried it out and if police had not been there he probably would have self-harmed.

A defence solicitor said his client suffers from depression.

District Judge Peter King said Hargey had no previous record and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity but he told the defendant his behaviour had the potential to “cause significant alarm regardless of what your intentions were”.

The defendant was given two months in jail, suspended for a year.