Jail for man who damaged wall at Ballymena Police Station
A man used a £1 coin to 'carve' a hole in an internal wall at Ballymena Police Station as he wanted to be arrested, the town's Magistrates Court was told.
Stevie Brown (23), of Shanlieve in Ballymena, committed criminal damage on October 11 this year.
He had also stolen over £500 worth of alcohol and food on four occasions in November this year from Tesco and a Centra store in Ballymena.
A prosecutor said the defendant had entered the police station "in an effort to get re-homed".
He indicated he wanted to be arrested and he showed damage he had caused to the internal wall of the station.
The prosecutor said the defendant had "carved" a circle into a wall by using a £1 coin and he indicated he did it because he wanted to be arrested.
A defence solicitor said the defendant, who had a record, had a "lack of accommodation" and had been "living rough in Belfast and Ballymena" and had taken items to both feed himself and to sell on "to obtain drugs".
The lawyer said the damage at the police station showed the "depths" he had fallen to as Brown wanted to be arrested to get accommodation.
The defendant was given a four months prison sentence and was fined £100.