Co Armagh man, caught sleeping in his car and started 'shouting and swearing', believes he's being 'targeted' by police, Craigavon court hears
A Co Armagh man, who was caught sleeping in his car, ‘shouted and swore’ at police who he believes are ‘targeting him’, a court hears.
The Portadown man, who is aged 32, was found by police asleep in this car in Lurgan, Craigavon Magistrates Court heard on Friday.
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Niall Withers, from The Spires, pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour and having a defective tyre.
Police receive a report of a suspicious vehicle in the Thornleigh Street area of Lurgan on May 8 this year. Officers, on arrival, noted the defendant was sleeping in the driver’s seat of a blue Ford Focus.
Checks by police showed he was the registered keeper of the vehicle and had the required insurance.
When police were searching his vehicle the defendant became “disorderly at the roadside”.
"Despite being warned multiple times about his behaviour he continued to shout and swear,” said the Prosecutor, adding the front driver’s tyre was bald.
Wither’s barrister Mr Conor Lunny said: “Regrettably he has had plenty of dealings with local police officers and two or three in particular.
"Without necessarily diminishing or demeaning anybody there are personality clashes. Mr Withers allows himself quite often to become agitated, more agitated than he should,” he said.
The barrister said his client faces further charges “after a spate of three or four interventions by police”. “He thinks he is the target of police and that’s the reason for losing his head although it is fairly low-end disorderly behaviour.”
Mr Lunny said police found him asleep at the wheel. “He wasn’t unfit and that was the reason for Mr Withers getting a bit more excited than he should have,” he said, adding his client fully accepts the bald tyre.
For the bald tyre he was given three penalty points and fined £150.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said the disorderly behaviour wasn’t the worst but "it shouldn’t have happened”.
"You might think the police are picking on you but I very much doubt it,” said the District Judge.
He fined Withers £200 plus the £15 Offender Levy. He gave the defendant 15 weeks to pay the fine.