Lurgan and Banbridge pair in court after claims woman was threatened her house would be burned down
Two people have appeared in court charged with a number of offences after claims a woman was threatened her house would burn down.
Patrice McCrory, aged 35, from Grattan Street, Lurgan, and Edward Cowley, aged 32, from Scarva Walk, Banbridge, both appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday following an incident in the Drumgor Heights area of Craigavon on January 14.
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McCrory faced nine charges including threats to damage a woman’s property, assaulting a woman, five counts of assaulting police, one count of resisting police and a final charge of disorderly behaviour.
Cowley faced three charges including threats to damage a woman’s property, possessing an offensive weapon, namely a knife, in a public place and assaulting a woman.
Cowley’s solicitor, Mr John McCamley and McCrory’s barrister Mr Damien Halleron said there was an issue regarding their connection to the charge of threatening to cause damage.
A PSNI officer told the court that as McCrory and Cowley got back into their vehicle at Drumgor Heights “Cowley is alleged to have said: ‘We will be back tonight. You and your kids will not be living in that flat tonight. I’m going to burn yous out.’”
He added: “Patrice McCrory has allegedly followed this threat by stating: ‘We will be back. We will be back.’ And then they left the area.”
Mr McCamley, representing McCrory, said: “That could mean anything. There is no threat whatsoever.”
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said he wasn’t satisfied that was enough to connect McCrory to that charge.
Opposing bail, a PSNI officer told the court police received a report of a man with an 8” knife and boy with a baseball bat at Drumgor Heights.
He said the complainant claimed McCrory had “repeatedly beeped her car horn”. She went downstairs and claimed McCrory became “verbally aggressive”. They left when a witness took out a phone to record.
Police attended Grattan Street. He said McCrory kicked a female constable to the leg twice and her torso once. She was restrained and put in a police vehicle. “While in the vehicle, she slipped her hand out of the handcuffs and made efforts to escape the police vehicle,” he added.
The constable further restrained McCrory who punched the officer in the face and pulled her hair, the court was told.
Objecting to bail, he said McCrory has a “very poor record with 39 previous convictions” and police believe there is a “high likelihood” of reoffending. “She is currently on police bail for similar violent offending,” said the officer, adding that both “pose a danger to the public”.
The officer said Cowley has 104 convictions in total and 20 breaches of bail between 2007 and 2024. He was only released from prison on December 12 last year.
Mr McCamley said his client is a single mother of two children, one of whom has autism. In relation to the assault on police, Mr McCamley said his client is “covered in bruises” on her wrists and hands.
He added: "Police entered her property armed, with an autistic child present." Indicating the child had become agitated, the solicitor continued: “Out of concern for her child she acted in a certain way. She will say she acted reasonably in the circumstances.”
District Judge Michael Ranaghan granted bail to both of them under strict conditions.