Larne cocaine addict left his ex-partner 'distressed' after breaching Restraining Order he had been given for stalking her, court hears

District Judge Nigel Broderick was responding to a solicitor who had informed the court a defendant has "mental health issues".

The solicitor said many people do indeed suffer from mental health issues but they don't all receive medication for them whereas his client does, on a daily basis, which "impacts him quite significantly".

The judge asked: "Does the medication make him commit criminal offences then?"

The solicitor replied that the defendant was "maybe not making decisions that he should make".

The discussion took place at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday, June 19 regarding Aaron Greer, aged 34, whose address was listed as Green Link in Larne.

He had previously been ordered to do 200 hours of Community Service for stalking his ex-partner and he has now admitted breaching a Restraining Order which he had also been given for that offence.

At the same court last year the defendant had been convicted of stalking the woman. The court heard he had phoned and messaged her; had gone to her place of work and had driven up and down a road near an address in Larne.

Judge Broderick told the court in 2024 that he recognised the defendant had a number of "underlying issues" but "this has been a very traumatic experience for the victim and that is evidenced in the contents of her Victim Personal Statement".

Thursday's court was told that around 11.30pm on April 18 this year, the defendant’s ex-partner said he had arrived at her home address and was "threatening her".

He was shouting into the property about a man inside: "Get him out, get him the f*ck out."

The incident had been "distressing" for the woman, a prosecutor told the court.

On April 22 the defendant contacted his ex-parnter on the phone which she found "pestering", the prosecutor added.

The defence solicitor outlined that Greer had been in a relationship with the woman for 17 years before it ended in recent years.

The judge said that according to a Probation report, the defendant "is spending £100 a week taking cocaine” and added: “Maybe he should stop taking cocaine".

The solicitor told the court that the defendant was "addicted to cocaine".

The court was informed that the defendant is assessed as a "high risk" of re-offending.

Judge Broderick said Greer had breached a Court Order twice and had a previous conviction involving the same victim when he was "very lucky" not to be jailed.

He said on that occasion Greer had been given Community Service "but you haven't learned your lesson" and handed down a four months prison sentence for the new offences.

A two-year Restraining Order was also put in place and Greer is excluded from going within 100 metres of his ex-partner's address.

The defendant was freed on £500 bail pending appeal of the sentence.