'This is your last chance' judge tells Co Down man who kicked out at police and stood on officer's hand, Craigavon court hears

The 26-year-old appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday.

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Kurtis Totten, of Locard Park, Gilford, faced two counts of assaulting police and a charge of disorderly behaviour.

A group of people were fighting in Gilford on Sunday, July 12, this year. On arrival police spotted the defendant on the ground being restrained by his mother and sister.

"He appeared to be extremely agitated and aggressive,” said a Prosecutor. "He continued to resist and kick out at police, connecting with them and causing one officer to fall backwards.”

He stood on one officer’s hand and punched her to the face. He was eventually put in handcuffs though continued to resist. Limb restraints were then applied. He continued to struggle shouting at police ‘F**k you.”

Police were told of damage to a fence which they claimed was caused by the defendant but the alleged victims did not want to make a statement of complaint.

When cautioned, the defendant said: “That’s a load of sh*t. I didn’t touch you.

Totten’s barrister Mr Conor Lunny said his client has a diagnosis of Global Developmental Delay however admitted that "alcohol doesn’t agree” with his client.

"He had been out with peers and there had been suggestion of a fight. He can’t quite recall. His mother and sister were called to the scene without the need for police,” said Mr Lunny.

He said, from watching the footage, his client is “a big lad who doesn’t know his own strength”. “His mother and sister are quite literally laying on top of him to restrain him.

"He’s clearly distressed. He is clearly drunk. He wrongly believes the police manhandled his mother and that spirals him even further. That is the start of the two assaults on police,” he said.

"His denials post caution are not worth a penny,” said Mr Lunny, adding his client was in a similar situation and received a Combination Order by the court.

Mr Lunny said his client spent five weeks on remand following the withdrawal of his bail address. He added his mother has been very supportive.

District Judge Barry McElholm said: “He has to reach the conclusion that he cannot drink. Mr Totten is one of those people who loses complete control of himself.

"This is the second incident within a few months. He has to realise he can’t go around behaving like this towards people who work in the public eye like police officers, ambulance staff, medical staff.

"This is your last chance. If he involves himself in anything like this again he will be going directly to prison,” he said sentencing him to three months in prison for each of the three charges to run concurrently and suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to pay £250 in compensation to each police officer – a total of £500. He gave him 16 weeks to pay as the defendant is on Universal Credit and PIPS.