‘Give me your f**king phone or I will strangle you,' a Co Armagh heroin addict told his mum, Craigavon court hears

Steven Cranston, aged 43, from The Willows, Lurgan, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday, pleading guilty to possession of the Class C drug Pregabalin and breaching a Restraining Order.

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Police were called by Cranston’s mother on June 14 this year who said her son “was under the influence of drugs” at her home.

The injured party said her son had been living at her address since his release from prison and, because he was under the influence of illegal drugs, she asked him to leave.

"He became irate. She said she would phone police. He said ‘Give me your f**king phone or I will strangle you’,” the Prosecutor told the court, adding police inquiries revealed a Restraining Order, banning Cranston from using or threatening violence towards his mother, was in place.

Cranston was arrested and taken for question to Lurgan Custody on June 21. While there police spotted Cranston pulling a bank card from his pocket and as he did so a red and white pill fell from his pocket onto the floor.

"He immediately picked this up and put it in his mouth,” said the Prosecutor, adding a pill of the same description was found in his pocket. He revealed they were ‘buds’ which he didn’t have a prescription for although he claimed he didn’t know they were in his pocket.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said the breach of any court order is a “very significant matter” but this was “aggravated” by his “behaviour towards his mother” so “the custody threshold is open”.

Cranston’s barrister Mr David McKeown said his client had been released from custody in November last year. Mr McKeown said there was a family bereavement which caused considerable stress to him and his mother with Cranston starting to “self-medicate”.

“He effectively fell off the wagon a little,” said the barrister. "Tension led to an argument. Mr Cranston realises he shouldn’t have behaved the way he did. It was a spur of the moment thing and he is deeply sorry for it.”

Mr McKeown said his client’s mother is keen to have the matter dealt with and believes her son has made “significant progress”.

"He is a man with heroin addiction issues which he is dealing with via methadone. He is dealing with all the other issues in his life with support in the community. I think this should be seen as an aberration, as a falling off the wagon,” said Mr McKeown.

“She wants him back to help her as much as to help him,” said the barrister, asking the District Judge to “hang something over his head so that he stays out of trouble and continues on his path”.

District Judge Ranaghan said: “What I heard was a nasty enough incident. No doubt your mother was terrified. I appreciate there is a persistent but difficult relationship between you and your mother.

"You need to manage your behaviour around your mother. She will eventually wash her hands of you if you continue down this path.”

For breaching the Restraining Order he was sentenced to three months in prison suspended for 12 months. For possession of Class C drugs he was fined £200 plus £15 Offender Levy.