A Portadown man who engaged in a spate of behaviour, described by a judge as “animalistic and disgusting”, has been sentenced to ten months in prison.
Lukasz Matuszak (31), of no-fixed-abode, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, via videolink from Maghaberry, charged with a number of offences on separate occasions.
The first of those relates to offences which occurred on June 4 and 5. The charges in this case were: four counts of theft, disorderly behaviour, assault on police, criminal damage and exposure.
Matuszak was also charged with common assault, criminal damage and disorderly behaviour, with these charges stemming from an incident that took place on May 28.
The prosecution told the court that on June 4, police attended a report from High Street Mall in Portadown regarding a man who had been detained by security after stealing items from Caffé Nero.
When police arrived, Matuszak appeared to be heavily intoxicated and was abusive and aggressive towards police.
A search was carried out, during which he initially refused to confirm his identification and became more aggressive, shouting and swearing in front of members of the public.
During the search, a chocolate bar, a Mars drink, a packet of biscuits and a vape were located on his trouser leg. His backpack was also recovered, which contained a number of chilled and frozen food items from various shops in Portadown.
A number of thefts were identified: £16.50 in items from The Range; £17.50 from Tesco; £12.97 from B&M Bargains; and £3.85 from Caffé Nero.
When arrested, Matuszak said: “I don’t give a f**k, you know why, you can suck my f**king d**k”.
A situation later arose which required that Matuszak be taken to Craigavon Area Hospital.
Whilst sat in a cell van with a police officer, Matuszak removed his penis from his trousers and urinated in the cell. When finished, he rubbed his testicles for one minute before placing his genitals back in his trousers.
During this time he maintained eye contact with the police officer.
He also spat directly in the face of another police officer.
The court also heard how on May 28, 2024, police attended Rushmere Shopping Centre following reports of a drunk and aggressive man in Subway.
On arrival, police observed Matuszak being restrained on the ground by security staff.
Security said he was being aggressive in Subway and was shouting obscenities. He was asked to leave but refused and “squared up” to security.
He also swung a fist at security but no contact was made. When police arrived, Matuszak continued to shout and swear.
He was then placed in the rear of a police vehicle, where he removed his trousers and defecated on the seat.
Defence Counsel David McKeown explained that his client, who “really struggles with alcohol,” was drunk at the time the offences were committed.
He said that Matuszak did not remember any of the incidents, but was “remorseful” for his actions, and was “addressing his alcohol problems in prison”.
District Judge Ranaghan, while conceding that Matuszak had a “limited” criminal record, stated that the aggravating features of the case were, “not hard to see,” describing the spitting at a police officer as “appalling”.
Referring to the incident in the back of the police vehicle, Judge Ranaghan said: “It’s animalistic, disgusting behaviour and no doubt some poor person had to clean up after him. It’s appalling, he should be ashamed.
“If he doesn’t remember it, I hope in the dim and distant future, those memories will resurface and he does have memory of this appalling and disgusting behaviour.”
Across both cases, Judge Ranaghan imposed a total prison sentence of ten months in custody.
