Court hears PSNI officers saw 'topless' Maghera being restrained by members of the public
A south Derry man has been convicted of offences arising out of an incident in which a van was abandoned outside licensed premises in the town.
District Judge Conor Heaney adjourned sentencing until October 15 for a pre-sentence report on 29-year-old Ciaran O'Hagan whose address on court papers was given as Craigadick Park, Maghera.
The judge imposed an interim driving disqualification.
He convicted O'Hagan of driving while unfit, failing to provide a specimen, disorderly behaviour, resisting police, and criminal damage.
Magherafelt Magistrates Court heard that police attended an incident at Glen Road in Maghera on August 29, 2024, where the defendant was being restrained by members of the public.
A police officer said O'Hagan was not wearing a top and began rolling around, trying to kick him and was shouting profanities.
The witness said at one point O’Hagan grabbed onto and squeezed his right hand and tried to scratch him with his nails.
The officer said O’Hagan was taken to Waterside police station, where he discovered that his handcuffs had been damaged and the defendant had to be placed in a custody cell as he continued to resist.
O'Hagan, who denied all the charges, said he had gone to the van to get tobacco.
He said he had not been driving the van and did not remember a great deal as he had "been given a beating”.
The witness said everyone was being aggressive towards him and attacking him, both members of the public and police.
O'Hagan denied assaulting the officer, saying he was in pain and trying to explain his case but no one was listening to him.
District Judge Heaney dismissed the assault on police charge along with a number of other charges, as he was not satisfied they had been made out to the required standard.
He said he accepted in general terms the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and had found the defendant to be an "unreliable historian" of events.
Adjourning the case for a pre-sentence report, Mr Heaney he would like a bit more detail about the defendant before sentencing.
He told O’Hagan that it was in his interests to cooperate fully with the Probation Service and to return to court on October 15 for sentencing.