Co Tyrone man exposed himself and urinated against a Co Armagh service station wall before stealing a case of Red Bull, Craigavon court hears
A Co Tyrone man urinated outside a Portadown service station wall and stole a case of Red Bull, a court hears.
Martin McCabe, aged 35, of Gortview Park, Coalisland, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
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He faced two charges, burglary and indecent behaviour.
On August 10 last year the defendant arrived at Wrights Service Station on the Dungannon Road, Portadown and exited a vehicle appearing “unsteady on his feet”.
He walked to the side of the building. On CCTV his genitals “were exposed from his shorts”, said a Prosecutor, adding: “He then urinated against the building’s side entrance door.”
"He then entered the building through the same unlocked side door which leads to a store room,” he told the court, adding McCabe lifted a 24-pack of Red Bull valued at £39.60.
He put the Red Bull in the van and loitered for a short time before re-entering the store room. The van driver reversed into a parking space and waited for the defendant to return.
As the defendant approached the van, the reporting person’s father, along with members of the public, "challenged him”. He got back in the van and “drove off”.
The Prosecutor said at no time did the defendant, who was known to police, attempt to pay for the Red Bull.
McCabe’s barrister Mr Conor Lunny said it was a guilty plea and there was a “very positive” Pre Sentence Report.
"Alcohol was the root cause of this but it might be overegging it to say he was completely out of his mind,” said Mr Lunny.
"Clearly he was caught short. That is a rather embarrassing auxiliary offence,” said the barrister, adding his client has “made strides” to deal with his alcohol issues.
Mr Lunny said his instructions are that his client hasn’t taken a drink since this incident and says he attends AA appointments daily, missing the occasional one or two.
"He’s doing all he can to curb that issue," said the barrister. "One would hope he has learned his lesson, embarrassing as it is.”
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said the main point of the court is to stop the defendant offending. He ordered him to complete a 12-month Probation Order, plus 70 hours Community Service. He also ordered McCabe to pay £39.60 in compensation.