'˜Prison will be second home' warns judge

At the local magistrates court on Thursday Brendan Anthony McGrattan of Brookdale, Banbridge, was sentenced to five months in custody.

McGrattan admitted two assaults on police and one count of resisting an officer on April 30 this year.

The defendant was brought into the dock from the cells and the court was informed that he had received a custodial sentence at Craigavon court earlier in the week.

There, it was said, suspended sentences had been activated.

That meant McGrattan was currently serving a six-month sentence, the court heard.

A public prosecutor said that at 11.20pm on the date in question, at Brookvale Gardens, McGrattan was leaning out of the window of his home and was abusive to police.

She added that the defendant threatened to fight with officers and told them to ‘go f—k’.

The court heard he then spat at an officer and hit him in the chest before running through a rear garden in an effort to avoid pursuing police.

It was said that when he was arrested he continued with foul-mouthed abuse.

A solicitor representing McGrattan said it was a ‘nasty incident’ but asked the judge not to interfere with his client’s release date.He added that the defendant had an alcohol problem and on this occasion he was in his own home. He was given the opportunity to quieten down but did not take it.

Deputy District Judge Brian Archer said McGrattan had 57 previous convictions.

He told the defendant he was a ‘public nuisance’ who was doing more harm to himself than to anybody else.

He added that the defendant should know better and told him if he did not deal with his alcohol problem prison was going to be his second home.