Man jailed for assault on PSNI officers

Man jailed for assault on PSNI officers

17 May 2017

A FORMER Newcastle man has been jailed for nine months for a catalogue of offences arising out of an incident in an estate in the resort.

Twenty eight year-old Thomas Caffrey assaulted three police officers and urinated in a police cell after being arrested in the Burren Meadow estate on March 2.

At Downpatrick Court this week a prosecution lawyer explained that police were called to deal with an “ongoing dispute” at a home in the estate.

The court was told Caffrey was shouting about people being “touts.” He then started wrestling with a man in the kitchen.

Police broke this up, but Caffrey started spitting at the police and shouting and swearing at them and residents in the vicinity at the time.

He was placed in a police car, where he tried to bite a policeman on the hand and kicked him on the leg. He also spat at the police and around the inside of the car.

It was decided to call for a police cell van to transport Caffrey for the remainder of the journey to the custody suite. On the way there, Caffrey continued to be abusive to the police and spat at them.

Once placed in a police cell, Caffrey urinated on the floor and spat on the CCTV camera lens.

When police interviewed Caffrey about these matters, he said it was not him who carried out these offences.

“He drank too much and he can’t remember a thing,” defence solicitor, Chris Logue, told last Thursday’s court.

Caffrey’s address that was listed with the court was at charity organisation Extern, at Verner Street, Belfast.

The court heard the defendant had recently been burnt out of two homes in the Newcastle area.

“He’s at the bottom of the barrel,” Mr Logue said.

Deputy District Judge, Mr Liam McStay, told Caffrey the court would not tolerate such behaviour.

“Everybody has their crosses to bear. You cannot act in this way and the court will not allow you to,” Mr McStay said.

The judge sentenced Caffrey to a total of four months in prison for these offences. He also enacted two suspended sentences, totalling five months, that Caffrey had received for previous convictions.

These are to be served consecutive to the sentence for the March 2 offences, which means Caffrey’s total prison sentence is one of nine months.