Magherafelt man with 'atrocious' record fell on top of police officer trying to handcuff him, court told
A man who fell on top of a police officer who was trying to handcuff him, was jailed for three months at Magherafelt Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Thirty-five-year-old Mark Francis Kennedy from Sandymount, Magherafelt, admitted charges of resisting police and disorderly behaviour when he appeared in court by video-link from Maghaberry Prison.
Jailing Kennedy, District Judge Oonagh Mullan said his record was “atrocious” with 116 previous convictions for mostly similar offences.
Ms Mullan said told Kennedy he had just kept repeating the offences despite the assistance offered to him by the courts.
Prosecuting counsel told the court that on September 24 last at 8.30pm, police were called to a disturbance involving the defendant at Sandymount.
The lawyer said Kennedy was highly intoxicated and was shouting and swearing at police.
She said he told police he would “beat the f**k out of them” and “rip their f**king heads off” and was moving in and out of his house.
Counsel said neighbours were watching and Kennedy continued to shout and then began wrestling with police who tried to handcuff him.
While they were attempting to do this, the defendant fell on top of a police officer.
Admitting the offences Stephen Atherton, solicitor, explained the defendant’s behaviour came from an assumption that he could not be convicted of something which happened on his property.
Mr Atherton said Kennedy now accepted it was “wholly inappropriate behaviour”.
He added that the defendant was looking at the possibility of spending his second consecutive Christmas in Maghaberry.