Spat in face of female police officer

Donald Brian McComb (29), HMP Maghaberry, admitted assaulting a police officer on May 5 last year.

The court heard that police were called to Drumgor Heights in Craigavon where a distressed male was lying in the communal hall, shouting towards the wall.

He was under the influence of alcohol and would not co-operate with paramedics. He spat in the face of a female officer before being handcuffed and taken to hospital.

A solicitor for McComb said he had been sentenced in the Crown Court for theft and assaults and given a two year sentence – 12 months in custody and 12 on licence.

Because of time on remand, he added, he had seven weeks to go before he was released on licence.

The solicitor said McComb had a quite extensive record and had always been given custody. District Judge, Mr Greg McCourt, said there were two wounding offences, criminal damage and assaults in the record so he was the ‘author of his own imprisonment’.

McComb’s solicitor said that it would be hard graft for the defendant on licence but if he did not do it he would be back in Maghaberry for another year.

He asked that in those circumstances if the court would not interfere with McComb’s release date.

District Judge, Mr Greg McCourt, said the defendant’s behaviour was ‘disgusting and abhorrent’ and sentenced him to three months in prison, to run consecutively to the sentence he was serving. After an application the judge set bail of £250 to appeal the sentence.