A Lurgan man who thinks he “may have been spiked” when he spat at police officers has been sent to prison – despite having no previous relevant convictions.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan told 26-year-old Adam Green, from Inglewood, that he has “repeatedly said in this court, if you spit on a police officer, on a prison officer, on anybody at their place of work, custody is an option for the court”.
“I am not backtracking,” the judge added. “This is two deliberate spits; one in the face of an officer. That’s very bad behaviour. It’s then spitting further in a cell van; somebody else had to clean that up.
“I appreciate [Green’s] limited criminal record, but I’m not going to backtrack from my stated position.”
The judge’s remarks came after the court heard that on June 30, police were to reports of a domestic incident whereby it was reported that Green was “wrecking the house”.
He was reportedly standing in the middle of the street in boxer shorts and a t-shirt. He was also holding a banjo in his hand.
He was “extremely agitated and was asked to drop the instrument” but refused and continued shouting and screaming in the street.
Green was then arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour in a public place, and police attempted to take control of them.
He resisted and lashed out at the officers. Once on the ground, Green began to spit at police, hitting one officer in the face. He also kicked another, before spitting in the back of the police van.”
His defence solicitor described Green’s family background as “very good” and that there were “no issues in this man’s life with regard to substances, alcohol or drugs or anything like that, but it’s very clearly he was highly intoxicated during these offences”.
“He does accept everything that took place. He does have limited memory. He accepts that he consumed alcohol but puzzlingly, he denies excessive alcohol use on the day in question. He thinks that he may have been spiked, but it was explained to him that there’s no evidence of this, and that is a very hard thing to prove, but he simply can’t account for his behaviour. It is completely out of character. It is somewhat bizarre behaviour.”
He added that his client has shown remorse and fully regrets his actions on the day.
However, Judge Ranaghan took a dim view of the spitting incident, denying the defence’s request for community service and probation, instead sending his client to prison for three months on each of the fours counts: disorderly behaviour, two assaults on police and criminal damage.
