A Lurgan man fined £600 for disorderly behaviour whilst intoxicated has been told to go to recruitment agencies in Portadown and register with “every single one of them”.
Nathan Power, (24), of Springwell Gardens, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday for sentencing on charges of disorderly behaviour, resisting police and assault on police.
The court heard that on October 8 of this year, police entered a residential area in Lurgan following a report from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.
On attendance, police observed the defendant lying between two parked vehicles in an “intoxicated state”. He was assisted to his feet by police and then began shouting and swearing in the street, “bouncing off parked vehicles”, and subsequently became aggressive with police, with the result that he ended up being restrained by officers on the ground.
He was warned a number of times about his behaviour and when he did not settle he was arrested for disorderly behaviour.
He was “very resistant” and kicked out at a police officer, meaning he had to be restrained on the ground a second time. He was further arrested for assault on police and resisting police.
At one point he said, “I did it. I’m sorry, I’m embarrassed” and calmed down.
Power’s defence solicitor explained to the court that his client’s record was “drink-related” and said: “I told him this is going nowhere, only to jail eventually if he keeps this up.”
He explained that Power’s father had lifted him after he had been drinking and “he got out of the car so intoxicated that he ended up on the ground”.
Defence added that the defendant was becoming a “nuisance and annoyance” to the neighbours in the area, and that due to his state of intoxication he “wasn’t listening to anybody”.
“He knows now that he’s on a very slippery slope here,” defence added.
District Judge Bernie Kelly, on passing sentence, imposed a fine of £300 for the disorderly behaviour, £100 for resisting police and £200 for the assault on police.
District Judge Kelly warned: “He’ll not get fines the next time.
“How many recruitment agencies are there up the main street in Portadown? I suggest when he leaves this court now he goes and he registers with every single one of them, and he’ll have no difficulty gathering up the money then to pay his fines for starters.”
District Judge Kelly gave Power 12 weeks to pay the total fine of £600.
“Makes it a very expensive night-out,” the District Judge added.
