An 19-year-old man who assaulted a woman in the city centre has been given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay compensation, at Derry Magistrate’s Court.
Tom Ward, of Ferguson Street in the city, admitted assaulting a female and disorderly behaviour in a public place on September 20 of last year.
Around 2.20am on that date an altercation took place in Waterloo Street between the defendant and a woman.
The injured party said he had punched her on the side of the head but she sustained no injury.
Ward matched the description provided and was subsequently stopped by police.
The 19-year-old was arrested and his reply after caution was that he had acted in self-defence.
During police interview he told officers he couldn’t remember anything as he was drunk but said he ‘wouldn’t hit a girl unless she hit him’.
He claimed the victim had touched his head when he walked past her and reiterated that he had defended himself.
Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley described his client’s behaviour as ‘awful’ and said Ward now accepts that.
The court was told he has a limited record and ‘regrets what happened’. It was an incident fuelled by alcohol, he added.
District Judge Barney McElholm said he hadn’t seen CCTV footage of the incident but believed there was nothing to back up Ward’s claim that he had acted in self-defence after the injured party hit him.
He added that the defendant then went to his probation officer and accused the victim of blowing cigarette smoke in his face, touching him and spitting on him. “He shows absolutely no remorse or acceptance of any of this.”
Ward was given a five months prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The District Judge said the only reason he wasn’t going to prison was because he had no prior convictions for assault.
“If he had one prior he would be going to prison.”
The defendant was also ordered to pay £525 in compensation to the victim and as Ward ‘earns quite a bit of money selling scrap the full amount should be paid in twelve weeks,’ he added.
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