Glenarm man was angry at somebody calling him 'baldy' and then strangled 14-year-old causing him to black out

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A man angered at being called "baldy" strangled a 14-year-old boy causing him to black out in the middle of a road.

Derek Morrow (41), of New Road, Glenarm, was jailed for six months on charges of non-fatal strangulation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

A prosecutor told Ballymena Magistrates' Court that on March 22, 2024, the boy had been socialising with friends in the Glenarm area when approached by the defendant.

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The boy told police one of his friends had called Morrow "baldy" as he walked down a street.

Ballymena courthouse. Picture: PacemakerBallymena courthouse. Picture: Pacemaker
Ballymena courthouse. Picture: Pacemaker

The prosecutor said Morrow was "angered by this" and grabbed the boy by the throat, preventing him from being able to breathe.

The boy blacked out before regaining consciousness lying in the middle of the road and the defendant was not present. He suffered headaches afterwards and attended Antrim hospital for "suspected concussion".

A defence lawyer said court references were received from an employer, a community group and a football team.

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The lawyer accepted it was an "appalling set off facts" and Morrow, who pleaded guilty, was "genuinely regretful and extremely remorseful".

District Judge Nigel Broderick said a 41-year-old man had strangled a 14-year-old child causing him to lose consciousness and asked: "What on earth is he doing?"

The lawyer said there had been "some taunting".

The judge said Morrow had got off work early, gone to a bar, "fills himself full of drink and then goes out and strangles a child".

The lawyer said the defendant had a record for committing assaults, the majority of which happened before he turned 20 and then there was a "significant gap" until 2019 ahead of the incident before the court.

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He said there was an issue between the offending and alcohol consumption.

The defence lawyer said Morrow, a father-of-three, is "engaged in community work" and a reference said he was a "role model in the community".

The lawyer said the incident was "entirely out of character".

Judge Broderick asked the lawyer to reflect on that as Morrow had a record, adding: "Do you want me to go through all the previous times he has beat somebody up?"

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The lawyer said the current offence was "out of character" in that the victim was a "young adult" on this occasion.

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The judge added: "I think that is a dangerous submission in light of his criminal record".

He said: "This is a very serious offence. To strangle anybody and to make them lose consciousness is a very dangerous act. It can very easily lead to a fatal outcome. To do that to a 14-year-old child is a significant aggravating feature to say the least".

He said Morrow had a record of an assault in 1999; in 2001 he was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm; there were other assaults in 2001; another assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2002; and another assault in 2019.

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Regarding the current case, the defendant had initially pleaded not guilty and then only pleaded guilty on the day of the contest, the judge said, and "no doubt the poor 14-year-old victim would have came to court anxious and concerned about the prospect of having to re-live the awful events on the night that you strangled him until he lost consciousness".

A two-year Restraining Order was also put in place.

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