‘Shouting match’ leads to court date

Nicole Loughran (33), Drumbeg, Craigavon, admitted disorderly behaviour and assaulting a police officer on August 28 this 
year.

Sentencing in the case was adjourned until November 11 so that a pre-sentence report could be obtained.

A public prosecutor said the case was aggravated by hostility through race.

He told the court that at 1.20am two females were in a takeaway in High Street, Lurgan, and when they were removed by police they were abusive and aggressive to police.

They were given warnings to go home but continued and the defendant was arrested for disorderly behaviour.

The prosecutor asked the judge to read the statement of a constable which contained the relevant aggravation.

District Judge, Mr Mervyn Bates, said ‘it was not pleasant reading’.

Mr Pat Vernon, representing the defendant, said she had been out that night with friends and had a lot of drink taken.

He explained that during the course of the evening she had been phoning her ex-partner who was Pakistani over money he was not paying for the children.

Mr Vernon said that Loughran then went to the pizza place where her ex-partner worked and got into a shouting match with him. She accepted certain remarks were made to her ex-partner.

He added that they were personal remarks against him and the ex-partner phoned the police. Mr Vernon said Loughran fully accepted she lost control of her temper.

Judge Bates pointed out that what she said to the police officers was quite extreme.

Mr Vernon said she did not normally drink as much as she did this night and her clear record would suggest this was not her normal behaviour.

He added that the assault charge was simply punching the flak jacket of the police officer.

Judge Bates said that the remarks made to the police officer ‘went beyond the pale’.