Pregnant Newry woman tried to stub cigarette out on ambulance worker's hand, Craigavon court hears

Zoey Flynn, from Rockmount Close, Newry faces two charges of assaulting an ambulance worker on July 20 last year, disorderly behaviour in Ogle Street, Armagh on July 14 last year and resisting police on the same date.

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She is further charged with stealing food worth £39.23 from the Spar Shop in William Street, Lurgan on June 9 last year.

Flynn faces a third set of charges including theft of groceries valued at £7.49 from Supervalu on Gilpinstown Road, Lurgan on July 14 last year and possession of the Class C drug Xanax on July 29 last year.

Asked by District Judge Michael Ranaghan why Flynn had not appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court, her lawyer said his client is in Carlisle House, a rehabilitation centre in Belfast having been admitted on January 2. He explained that Flynn had a relapse with substance abuse.

"She’s pregnant,” said the district judge. Her lawyer responded: “Yes, Your Worship. I’m afraid so.”

He explained his client, who is pleading guilty to all charges, is a woman with complex mental health issues recently diagnosed with ADHD and personality disorder and struggles to cope with ‘the trials and tribulations of life’. “That tends to lead to relapses onto substances,” said the lawyer.

He further explained that the defendant was engaging with Community Addictions following her relapse in December and they referred her to an emergency place in Holywell in Antrim at Christmas. She was then transferred to Carlisle House.

“That’s why there was no engagement. That’s why there was no explanation provided to Probation,” he said.

The lawyer said Flynn engages well with services but appears to flail without support in the community. He told the district judge that his client would benefit from the assistance of Probation.

District Judge Ranaghan said: “My understanding is the headline offence here is definitely the assaults on the ambulance workers. One of those involved attempting to put a cigarette out on the hand of an ambulance worker and I think it did make contact. And there was an apparent deliberate splashing of blood on the ambulance worker as well.”

Flynn’s lawyer said: “It’s serious offending, I accept that.”

He further explained that the defendant’s baby is due ‘in the coming weeks’.

District Judge Ranaghan said: “Custody does seem the only likely outcome for Miss Flynn but there’s a complication there and a court is obliged to take into account the impact custody would have on a child. This lady is about to have a child and I am not sure of her overall circumstances in relation to other children. And there is a series of other offending.”

He said he wasn’t sure if Probation is ‘realistic’. He added more information is required from Carlisle House on the programme Flynn is involved in and when she is likely to be released.

He adjourned all three cases to until January 22, adding: “We’ll see if we can plot a way forward which will appropriately deal with Ms Flynn, deal with the birth of her child and deal with this very serious offending.”