Portadown man with 170 convictions is jailed for riot
A Portadown man who threw missiles at police during a riot and tried to entice and encourage others to join in, has been handed a two-year sentence.
Sentencing Lawrence Creaney at Craigavon Crown Court, Judge Donna McColgan KC ordered the 38-year-old to serve eight months in jail and 16 months on supervised licence conditions.
"So does that mean I have to do them four months,” Creaney asked the judge from the dock.
Judge McColgan explained to him however, that as he has been serving out the licence period for a previous offence, “it will be eight months and that starts from today.”
At an earlier hearing, Creaney, from Woodside Green, had entered guilty pleas to riot and possessing Class C drug zopiclone on June 12, 2025.
While police and PPS had initially contended the riot was aggravated by reason of racist hostility, prosecuting counsel confirmed that was not now being put forward.
During her sentencing remarks, Judge McColgan outlined how police on West Street were “coming under heavy and sustained attack by a crowd of around 30 times 40 people”.
With at least 100 more looking on, rioters threw dozens of missiles at police, including masonry, bottles, fireworks and a number of petrol bombs.
Officers deployed Accentuated Energy Projectiles (AEP), plastic baton rounds, as well as water canon in an effort to quell the trouble, said the judge.
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Turning to Creaney’s actions, Judge McColgan said he was involved for almost an hour-and-a-half, until he was eventually arrested at 10.15pm.
The court heard that during that time, Creaney threw several pieces of masonry, broke top a larger block of concrete to throw at police and was shouting at others trying to encourage them to join in.
Judge McColgan said it was clear from footage that despite the coaxing and cajoling of the heavily intoxicated Creaney, the crowd “largely ignore him”.
The court heard that at one point, Creaney “used a pallet as a shield” and that he was struck by three AEP’s before being arrested.
When arrested, police recovered a number of zopiclone sleeping tablets in Creaney’s pocket.
Judge McColgan said while the racist element had been removed, Creaney’s offending was aggravated given his record of 170 convictions and that he was involved for a “significant period” and was “repeatedly throwing missiles” at police.