Co Armagh woman stubbed cigarette into the hand of a paramedic who was trying to treat her, Craigavon court hears

Zoey Flynn, aged 30, formerly of Lurgan but now of an address at Rockmount Close, Newry appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court.

-

-

The court heard on June 9, 2024, a woman entered the Spar in William Street, Lurgan with a man. She stole goods valued at £39.23, making full admissions during interview.

A prosecutor told the court that on July 20, 2024, police and paramedics attended a woman who had cuts to her arms and head in Armagh.

When paramedics arrived, Flynn was ‘initially unconscious’ but started to come around with police attempting to detain her so medical aid could be administered.

"She was extremely abusive to both police and ambulance workers,” said the prosecutor, adding Flynn shouted: ‘I don’t want your f**king help, you f**king ba*ta*ds. I want you to die’.

"The wound on her head was spurting blood. The defendant began to deliberately shake her head when police and medics tried to stem the bleeding. This caused police and paramedics to get blood on them,” said the prosecutor.

She was ‘given a cigarette in an attempt to calm her down’. “She pressed a lit cigarette into the hands of one of the paramedics causing her pain,” he said.

"She kicked out and struck another paramedic numerous times,” said the prosecutor, adding that Flynn also kicked the paramedic she had stubbed a cigarette into. Both paramedics sustained bruising and one suffered a broken nail. One of the paramedics, who had to attend the Emergency Department as she was spattered with Flynn’s blood, received a Hepatitis C vaccine.

"Both paramedics, understandably, were left distressed by the incident,” the prosecutor said, adding Flynn said she didn’t remember the interaction and was ‘suffering from bad mental health’.

The court also heard police were called to the Eurospar on Gilpinstown Road, Lurgan on July 14, 2024, where Flynn was spotted stealing food totalling £7.49.

She was also charged with possession of the Class C drug Xanax on July 29, 2024.

Flynn’s barrister, Mr Conor Lunny, said Flynn “is genuine” in her remorse.

Mr Lunny said Flynn had received “a fairly large” gash to the head after “a drugs binge” and couldn’t remember the incident.

The barrister said Flynn has made “strides” since these incidents adding she was in the “grip of Class A drug and alcohol addiction”.

He revealed Flynn has five children. “She had a very tough upbringing,” said Mr Lunny. “She fell into a peer group last year, mostly males who were addicted to harder drugs like crack cocaine. She was destitute and homeless.”

He said she extricated herself from that situation when she became pregnant and moved out of Lurgan away from known drug dealers.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan described her behaviour as “disgusting”, sending her to jail. “She’s had all the chances she is going to get," he said.

Flynn was given five months jail for assaulting the paramedics and the district judge activated the suspended sentence for four months – a ‘global’ sentence of nine months. She received concurrent sentences of two months each for disorderly behaviour, resisting and both theft charges. For the drugs charge, she received one month – also concurrent.

She was released on bail to appeal the sentence.