Officer called '˜orange b*****d'

Ryan Leigh McLaughlin, of Broomy Lane, pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour and assaulting police.

The offences were committed on March 31 last

Derry Magistrate’s Court heard police spoke to the 28-year-old after a car was damaged in the Foyle Street area of the city.

He walked away from the officers and was arrested.

McLaughlin ‘lashed out’ at police and head butted an officer.

The court heard this caused tenderness and redness to the officer, but no other injuries.

Mclaughlin then began ‘shouting and roaring’ and called the officer an ‘orange b******’ a number of times.

He also attempted to head butt the officer a second time.

During police interview, McLaughlin admitted disorderly behaviour and denied assaulting the police officer.

He claimed that the officer had made the allegation up because he didn’t like him.

The court heard the defendant was in breach of a suspended sentence for similar offences.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said his client had consumed too much alcohol on this night and would have reacted differently when sober.

Jailing McLaughlin, Deputy District Judge Ted Magill said an assault on a police officer will ‘always be regarded as a serious matter by this court’.