Suspended prison term for Ballymena man with 97 previous convictions
A Ballymena man with 97 previous convictions has received a suspended prison term after he failed to complete Community Service he had been given for resisting a police officer.
The 50-year-old was brought before Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena on Tuesday (August 4), after he only completed 48 out of 100 hours of Community Service, originally given in July 2025.
The 2025 court hearing was told a police cell van was "covered" in blood after Gary Mairs (50), with an address listed as Andena Grange, deliberately banged his head off the inside of the vehicle.
He had also shouted and sworn at police on May 29, 2025. He had admitted a charge of resisting a police officer in the execution of his duty.
The defendant had told police he became angry as he did not know why he was being arrested "and that is why he banged his head numerous times in the cell van," a prosecutor said.
A defence barrister told the court last year the defendant wished to apologise and said Mairs had "re-established a good link with the local church".
At this week's court a defence barrister said Mairs had been unable to do the Community Service hours as he had been in custody, and when he got out, issues with alcohol caused problems.
"When he smelt of alcohol" they would not let him do the Community Service, it was said.
District Judge Nigel Broderick revoked the Community Service Order and replaced it with a three months prison term, suspended for a year.