Community service order revoked as man failed to show

A twenty-one-year-old Lurgan man who failed to complete any hours of a community service order had it replaced by a prison sentence last Friday at Craigavon Magistrates Court.

Nathan Breen, whose address was given to the court as Deeny Drive, Lurgan, had been given 160 hours community service for a common assault.

However, he failed to attend on three occasions, and the probation service applied to have the community service order revoked.

Breen had not completed any hours.

Mr Conor Downey, representing the defendant, said his client had very difficult circumstances on the domestic front but this was no excuse for him not co-operating.

He asked that maybe the court could impose a suspended sentence to leave something hanging over the defendant’s head.

District Judge, Mr Peter King, said he remembered the case very well.

Mr Downey said that Breen had sustained some injury in the incident.

Judge King said the offence had passed the custody threshold and community service had been imposed as an alternative to prison.

He revoked the community service order and replaced it with a three month period of immediate custody.

Later in the court Breen was released on his own bail of £250, pending appeal of the sentence imposed.