Cookstown man who spat in police cell van six times said it 'needed a clean'
A Cookstown man who spat in the back of a cell van later told police that it needed a clean, Dungannon Magistrates Court has been told.
Colm Campbell, aged 39, from Ratheen Avenue in the town, was ordered to carry out 80 hours of Community Service on a charge of criminal damage.
District Judge Francis Rafferty was told Campbell had been arrested on March 18 last for matters not before the court and was being taken to Antrim Area Hospital for mental health issues.
Prosecuting counsel said while he was being conveyed in a cell van, police observed him spitting six times and referred to an officer as an “English c***”.
The lawyer said the cell van had to return to the station and an officer spent 20 minutes cleaning it. Campbell was charged with criminal damage and when asked why he had spat replied: “it needed a clean.”
A defence lawyer described it as “disgusting behaviour” which the defendant held his hands up to.