Portadown woman called children 'Mexican ba*ta*ds' and threatened to kill them, Craigavon court hears

Helen Cassidy, aged 51, from Hartfield Avenue, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court via video link from Hydebank Prison.

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She pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour, two counts of threats to kill and a fourth charge of threatening to damage property.

The court heard that on October 13 this year police were tasked to Hartfield Avenue in Portadown following a report the defendant was ‘intoxicated in the street shouting abuse at children’.

Police arrived at around 5.15pm and could hear the defendant shouting in the street. She was spoken to and told to return to her address. Five minutes later, while police were talking to residents, she came out onto the street and started shouting abuse at her neighbours.

"The police noted her referring to the children as Mexican ba*t*rds, hence the attachment of the racial aggravator," said the prosecutor.

She was arrested and while being taken to the police vehicle she turned and said ‘Mexican c**t’ to her neighbour.

The neighbour told police that earlier in the afternoon she saw the defendant further up the street ‘knocking on random doors and directing abuse at her and her daughter saying her daughter needed a slap and was a b*tch and threatening to kill her and shouted they needed to go back to their own country’.

Police spoke to the reporting party who said that around 1.30pm she saw Cassidy sitting on the footpath intoxicated while children were out playing.

"She then heard the defendant from down the street shouting at the neighbours. Helen was removed and brought back to the address and police were phoned. When inside her own address the defendant continued to make threats saying she was going to kill the children and the mum and dad and they shouldn’t be here because they weren’t from the same country,” said the prosecutor, adding the defendant was further arrested for threats to kill.

The court heard that during police interviews Cassidy said ‘she didn’t remember much of the incident and had been quite intoxicated’, adding that the children sometimes bang on the door during the day and she had shouted at them but had no intention of killing anybody.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said the names of the victims “are those which are not normally ones from outside this jurisdiction”. “Were any of these people obviously from outside the jurisdiction?”

He was informed that they are of ‘dual nationality’ and the children’s father is from here. The children were described as ‘small children’.

Cassidy’s barrister said his client had a ‘very limited record’ and had ‘alcohol issues’.

"She is deeply shameful for her actions,” he said.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “This children were very young and witnessed the disgusting behaviour of Ms Cassidy. There is a racist element. Alcohol is not an excuse. This is a terrible set of offending.

"These victims deserve to know you will be in custody over Christmas,” he said.

For disorderly behaviour and threats to damage property he sentenced Cassidy to four months in prison. For both threats to kill he gave her six months jail time plus the £25 offender levy. He also imposed a one-year Restraining Order in respect of all four victims.