Man with more than 170 convictions stormed CCTV control room at Fairhill Shopping Centre in Ballymena and threatened to use needle to stab staff member
A man with more than 170 convictions threatened to stab a staff member with a needle whilst attempting to enter a CCTV control room at the Fairhill Shopping Centre in Ballymena.
The 31-year-old then spat on police officers, a court heard.
Ciaran McKeown (31), formerly from Ballymena, now has an address listed as a hostel in Belfast.
He appeared at Ballymena Magistrates' Court via video link from prison and pleaded guilty to two assaults; three assaults on police; and being disorderly at Antrim Area Hospital.
A charge of attempting to cause criminal damage to a police vehicle was withdrawn by prosecutors.
A prosecutor said that at 5pm on Sunday, March 22 this year, McKeown attempted to enter the CCTV control room area in the Fairhill centre. He assaulted two members of staff.
The court heard there was footage. The defendant had argued with a staff member at the control room door and "threatened to stab him with a needle".
McKeown pinned another staff member against a wall and that man received a cut finger and a swollen thumb.
There were no physical injuries to the other staff member.
When arrested, police took the defendant to Antrim Area Hospital. At the hospital he was aggressive and was shouting and swearing.
He spat on two police officers and assaulted a third officer.
A defence barrister said the defendant had been released from prison on licence in November and it had been hoped he would have got help for a drugs issue.
The court heard there was "some stability" until March but then there was a "relapse".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said the defendant had an "appalling" record of 173 previous convictions including 25 for assaulting police.
He commented: “He has nearly committed every crime that you could".
The judge said the record included "thefts, serious assaults, road traffic offences, disorderly behaviour, public order, offensive weapon, obstructing police, kidnapping, going equipped, fraud, firearms, explosives, drugs, criminal damage, burglary, breach of court orders".
He added: "To effectively break in to the control / security room and assault the personnel therein and then to spit at police officers is totally abhorrent behaviour".
McKeown was jailed for five months.