Carnlough sex offender 'quit university course after police told him people were aware of his convictions', Ballymena court hears
A court has been told a registered sex offender quit a university course after police informed him that people were aware of his convictions.
Details were outlined by a defence barrister at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday, January 9 regarding Michael McCollum (26), whose address is listed as Curragh Hill in Carnlough.
The defendant was in court in connection with pleading guilty to breaching, in July last year, the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.
McCollum was due to be sentenced on Thursday but the court was told he had not attended his appointments with the Probation Board on December 4 or December 11 for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
The defence lawyer outlined how the defendant had missed his appointments with Probation because he was "going through a very difficulty period since around Halloween".
He told the court: "He was studying in Derry. He was notified by police that a person or persons had become aware of his previous sexual convictions. As a result of that he had to quit his university course and move home to Carnlough.
"He instructs then that he suffered a severe bought of depression since this all happened to him. He missed the first Probation appointment partly due to transport difficulties. He missed the second due to depression, saying he had been staying in bed for a period of time,” the lawyer added.
The case against McCollum has been adjourned to Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday, February 13 for a pre-sentence report.