The barrister for a man who called another person a ‘tout’ and knocked their 'teeth' out, has refuted claims the incident was a homophobic or transgender attack.

Bradley Brown, aged 20, from Windsor Lodge, Waringstown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court charged with common assault.

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Craigavon Courthouse. Picture: National World.

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The court heard that on December 6 last year at around 9.14pm, police received a report that a male had been assaulted in Westland Road, Portadown.

Police spoke with the injured party who told them he had been assaulted earlier in the evening by a female over an argument about animal welfare.

A prosecutor said the parties had separated. The injured party left the area and when returning home in the evening he was approached by the defendant and the daughter of the female he had claimed assaulted him earlier in the evening.

The case was heard at Craigavon Magistrates Court

The second female has got into an argument with the injured party. “During the argument with the injured party the defendant is alleged to have called the injured party a tout. The defendant then struck the injured party to the face with one punch.

"As a result the defendant has knocked out two of the front teeth from the injured party. The injured party believes this is a homophobic assault as he is transgender. The injured party suffered a cut to the lip and teeth knocked out,” said the prosecutor, adding there was a victim impact statement and requested a Restraining Order.

Brown’s defence barrister, Mr Gavyn Cairns, raised a number of issues in relation to the facts outlined by the prosecution. He said that while the situation was beyond the boundaries of appropriate behaviour and it was an assault but disputed that “teeth” were knocked out but rather “a plate or some form of cosmetic item”.

In relation to the Restraining Order, Mr Cairns said there has not been any repetition of this or risk of repetition.

Mr Cairns also said that the issue of it being a homophobic or transgender attack is “not borne out in any sense by the Victim Impact Statement”.

"There is no reference to that at all. This unfortunately occurred by virtue of a previous incident involving the defendant’s partner’s mother. There isn’t any reference to any words that would give grounds for any offence being motivated by anything other than a previous adverse incident.

“This is a single strike,” said Mr Cairns adding it was an “act of self defence”. “This was a difficult case for the defendant to make and by virtue of his plea he accepts he crossed the boundary which would have allowed him to make that legal defence.”

The barrister pointed to the pre-sentence report and said his client exhibited “appropriate levels of remorse” to the Probation officer. He further pointed out there had been no repetition of this behaviour and a “line could be drawn underneath it”.

Mr Cairns further pointed to the Probation services’ suggestion of a community penalty.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said as a “direct alternative to custody” he would impose a Combination Order including 12 months supervision with Probation. Brown was also given 60 hours of Community Service and warned if he did not take part, the alternative was custody.