A 20-year-old man from Derry has been handed a suspended prison sentence for assaulting a PSNI detention officer.
Ciaran Mongan, of Iniscarn Crescent, admitted possessing Class B drug cannabis and assaulting a police designated person on March 22/23 of last year.
The court heard Mongan had breached court bail conditions on when he was arrested and taken to Strand Road Police Station. While there he was searched and police found ‘two orange, two yellow, and two purple tablets’ inside a plastic bag which were believed to be amphetamines.
On March 23 when he was being escorted to Derry Courthouse he got into an argument with a civilian detention officer and lunged at him. A Public Prosecutor said Mongan threw his elbow at the officer’s face and the injured party had to put his arm up to protect himself.
Defence solicitor Mark Reid said his client had no permanent address at the time and was going through a ‘difficult period’ but has now got his life ‘back on track’. He added that the drugs were for the 20-year-old’s own personal use.
It was submitted that Mongan has not been before the court since April of last year and has ‘largely stayed out of trouble’.
District judge Barney McElholm imposed a sentence of three months in prison suspended for two years and fined him £100.
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