Held carving fork to throat

David Carson (42), Woodford Park, Lurgan, admitted the assault as well as criminal damage to a door and possession of an offensive weapon on May 10 last year.

He was put on probation for 18 months, with the condition that he attends the Respectful Relationships programme, and ordered to pay his victim £500 compensation. Carson was also made the subject of a two year restraining order.

The court heard that police were called to Trasna Way in Lurgan where the injured party said that the defendant, who was extremely intoxicated, had been kicking at her door.

He had held a two pronged fork against her throat and she was too shaken to make a complaint at that time.

Later in a statement she said that at about 4.30pm the defendant was sitting on his hunkers at the back garden. He began to kick at the door and she was very frightened.

Carson ran at the door and she believed he was going to smash the glass so she opened the door. She then kneed him in the groin area and he fell to the ground. He put the fork to her throat but she managed to knock it out of his hand onto the floor.

Carson was found guilty after a contest and the case adjourned so that a pre-sentence report could be obtained.

A solicitor representing the defendant said there had been no contact between him and the injured party since this incident. He had no wish or need to see her. He explained that the police had only attended on the day regarding a criminal damage complaint and it was only when they returned the next day she said about the fork attack. That was the basis on which the contest was founded.

The lawyer said the probation report was favourable. Carson had previous good character. He described what happened as a ‘one-off incident’. SHe added that Carson had reached the nadir in terms of his alcohol addiction.

However, he recognised his actions were completely unjustified.

District Judge, Mr Mervyn Bates, said this was a serious matter of domestic abuse, causing great fear and alarm to the victim.

But, he added, there had been no re-offending.