A Portadown teenager who took exception to police being involved in a family incident has been ordered to pay a fine of £100.
The 19-year-old’s barrister told court the defendant had struggled mentally after his ex-girlfriend had a miscarriage of what was to be their first child.
Declan Ward, of Garvaghy Park, pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour at Craigavon Magistrates’ on Wednesday.
Prosecution outlined that on January 11, at 4.45pm, police were tasked to an address in Portadown for an unrelated matter.
They spoke to the defendant outside the property, he then began shouting to try and get his mother’s attention.
Ward then proceeded to swear and this continued despite him being warned on several occasions.
A number of neighbours were disturbed by this, one female asked the defendant to “pipe down” as she had a young baby in the house.
Ward was subsequently arrested and taken to Lurgan Custody Suite, where he gave a no comment interview.
Defence barrister Conor Coulter stated: “I ask that he is given as much credit as possible, this escalated after he took exception to police presence in what he believed was something that should have been kept in the family.
“Mr Ward had somewhat of a breakdown, his relationship ended with his girlfriend in the aftermath of a miscarriage of what would have been their first child, since then he has struggled with mental health problems”.
He added: “He is a young man with some 20 convictions but this places somewhere on the lower end of the scale”.
Ward was ordered to pay a fine of £100, along with the offender’s levy of £15, within 20 weeks.
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