Tyrone woman attacked husband in drunken row in front of police

An Aughnacloy woman has escaped a jail sentence after she assaulted her husband in front of police officers during a drunken row.
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Kate Mongan, 35, from Dungannon Street, appeared at Dungannon Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday charged with common assault.

The court was told that police officers had been called to a domestic disturbance at the couple’s Moy home on June 8 at 3.20am.

The husband had claimed to have been assaulted by Mongan.

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However, when officers arrived at the house, there was no answer at the front door.

Fearing for the partner’s safety, they then entered an unlocked door and found the injured party intoxicated.

In spite of the police concern for his safety, the injured party proceeded to abuse the officers, and mentioned the murders of several security force personnel.

The court heard that the injured party reminded the officers of what had happened to a police officer Ronan Kerr and the murder ‘that happened on the motorway’.

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At this point, the victim’s wife emerged from a bedroom and began striking him on the back of his head.

After the officers arrested Mongan, who had recently served a three month jail sentence, she said: “I’m glad I did it. He deserved it.”

Mongan’s defence solicitor explained that the couple had been intoxicated at the time of the incident.

He told the court that the defendant had been trying ‘to shut her husband up’ and prevent him from making remarks that would lead to his arrest.

She accepted her guilt from the outset, he added.

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He went on to say that the judge would be entitled to send the defendant to jail.

However, the attack was a minor assault and on those grounds he asked the judge to consider another form of punishment.

Judge John Meehan accused the victim of making highly offensive and provocative remarks to the police officers.

He added that the assault did not meet the threshold for a custodial sentence, and fined her £100 instead.