Co Armagh woman who breached a bomb alert cordon in Lurgan wearing male underwear on her head has been jailed

The 26-year-old, who had been wearing men’s underwear on her head while running through the cordon according to a previous sitting of Craigavon Magistrates Court, appeared before the same court on Friday via video link from Hydebank Prison.

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Elisha Donnelly, of Abercorn Park, Portadown pleaded guilty to four sets of charges spanning two months.

In one set of charges she pleaded guilty to three counts of theft on March 8 and February 23 this year.

In the second set of charges she pleaded guilty to breaching a police cordon area around Lurgan police station on March 31 this year. She also pleaded guilty to obstructing police on the same date.

In a third set of charges, Donnelly pleaded guilty to two counts of theft on March 29 and February 28 this year.

She also pleaded guilty to a separate theft charge dated March 22 this year.

Donnelly’s barrister, Mr Damien Halleron, said the defendant’s mother was in court to support her.

The court heard that on Monday, February 23 this year, it was reported the defendant entered Lidl in Lurgan taking two bottles of cider valued at £3.94 and left without paying.

On Saturday, March 7 this year, she went to Tesco in Lurgan and stole clothing valued at £77.50. On March 8 she stole ready meals and confectionary to an unknown value belonging to SPAR in William Street, Lurgan.

The prosecutor said that on March 31 this year, police were carrying out duties at a cordoned area in Church Place, Lurgan.

“At around 8am, police observed an individual running through the cordon described as wearing a blue tracksuit top and dark bottoms,” she said.

The individual was then spotted by police running out of the cordoned area towards Edward Street wearing similar clothing with with an “all black face covering that exposed the eye area”.

She said the woman was detained but provided a false name.

After she was identified Donnelly was arrested. During interview she “did express remorse”, the court heard.

On February 20 this year the injured party reported that the defendant had been at his address staying “until she could find somewhere else”.

She asked to use his mobile phone which he agreed to in order for her to make a call. However, Donnelly left the property with the phone without his permission. The phone has not been located or returned to date. It was an iPhone 17 valued at £1,299.

On March 9 this year, police received a report of theft from Winemark, Gilford Road, Portadown of two bottles of wine, two BuzzBalls and two alcopops totalling £33.14.

On March 22 this year she was with a man when a bottle of Buckfast valued at £8.99 was stolen from the Spar in William Street, Lurgan.

Mr Halleron said his client “got through her early 20s without being in trouble at all”.

"She then began to associate with the wrong type of person. She then began to experiment with drugs. She then began to use crack cocaine,” said the barrister, adding his client has gone from having no criminal record to being sentenced for four different sets of offences.

"Her mother is here today. She’s distraught,” said the barrister, suggesting that Donnelly could benefit from rehabilitation.

He revealed that Donnelly’s mother, through various charities and church organisations, has organised a place for her daughter at a rehabilitation centre in Nottingham in England which is still available to her on a long term basis.

"She accepts she now has to make a decision. Either she spends her life looking at you through a video link screen or she goes back to where she was before all this began,” said Mr Halleron, adding Donnelly is determined to do that.

He added the defendant has been in custody for around 80 days and has been sober in custody. He revealed she is working in the woodwork, plastering and joinery section in Hydebank and using her time in custody productively.

The barrister explained that the plan is when she is eventually released it will be into the care of her family. He appealed to the district judge for leniency given she is “still a young woman who could be rehabilitated”.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “The court is aware of the spiral your life seems to have taken. But there’s the chance for rehabilitation, which your mother organising, and you need to take advantage of that.”

He said he would be giving a global sentence which will involve a period for Donnelly to “realise how much she is destroying her own life” and also leave a path towards rehabilitation.

For the three counts of theft on the first set of charges she was given two months in custody for each charge running concurrently with each other.

For the offences at Lurgan police station including breaching the cordon and obstruction officers, she was given a two months jail sentence, concurrent to each other but consecutive to the first set of charges.

In the third set of charges involving the high value theft of an iPhone, the district judge hoped the victim could get compensation through insurance and didn’t make a compensation order. For each of the two offences she was sentenced to three months in jail concurrent to each other but consecutive to the first two sets of charges.

"I am really conscious of the distress your mother has been caused and the need to get you fixed,” said the district judge who sentenced Donnelly to two months in prison for the Buckfast theft concurrent to all sentences making it a global sentence of seven months. She was also ordered to pay £25 offender levy.