A 27-year-old Derry man who is accused of assaulting his ex-partner and driving dangerously while disqualified has been granted bail.
Ruairi Canning of Glenabbey Street appeared before Derry Magistrates Court charged with assaulting a woman on May 18, and on May 21, driving with no licence. He was also charged with dangerous driving and two further driving offences alleged to have taken place on February 27.
The court heard that in February, Canning was spotted by police driving and was known to be disqualified. When police attempted to stop him, he skidded and failed to stop for police. He drove on, overtaking three cars and driving on the wrong side of the road. He was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and failing to stop for police.
Canning’s ex-partner contacted police on Monday to report that she had been assaulted by him a few days earlier on Saturday, May 18.
The woman said that they had an argument and Canning spat in her face and pinned her to the wall, squeezing her neck with his hands. She said she struggled to get him off her by pushing him away and digging her fingernails into him. She said that he eventually stopped squeezing her throat when she broke a necklace he was wearing.
She said a friend came and collected her and her two-year-old child and took them away from the house. The woman was left with bruising to her upper arm.
The woman then said that on Monday, May 21, she saw Canning on Creggan Street driving a vehicle with a Republic of Ireland registration. She said that around five or 10 minutes later, she received a call from her mother saying that Canning had called with her.
The woman said that it frightened her that Canning had called to her mother’s address and that is why she reported the assault that had taken place a couple of days earlier. Canning was arrested for the alleged offences.
Psychologist
A police officer in court said that Canning had been given driving disqualifications of a year and a half in Antrim and Strabane and had been subject to court bail. She said that court bail did not seem to be stopping Canning from offending and disqualifications were not preventing him from driving.
The defence said that Canning had co-operated with police fully and that he said that the incident on May 19 had taken place after Canning had spoken with a clinical psychologist in Belfast.
The defence said that this meeting had ‘brought up historic and recent issues that caused him difficulties’. Canning had claimed that he contacted his ex-partner to tell her he wanted to end the relationship and asked her to leave his house.
However, he claimed that she was still there when he came back hours later and the only physical contact that took place between them was made by him in self-defence. Canning said that he was not in a position to walk away as he was electronically tagged for bail and couldn’t leave the house.
He also denied the allegation of him driving the Republic of Ireland registered car and said that he had walked to home of his ex-partner’s mother.
Canning also denied the driving offences in February and said he had provided witnesses for the police to interview.
No contact
The defence said that Canning had been seeking help for mental health difficulties and that ‘prison is not the solution’ and would interfere with any progress he could make.
Canning claimed he was going to the mother of his ex-partner to discuss contact with his child, however, a police officer in court said that he was ‘going to air some dirty laundry her family didn’t know about’.
District Judge Barney McElholm said that he would be interested to see if there was any CCTV to show whether Canning had arrived there on foot or in a vehicle.
He then granted Canning his own bail of £750 to reside at Southend Park with his mother and to have no contact with the injured party or to go within 500m of her home. He was also banned from travelling in the front of a private vehicle.
Judge McElholm said: “Take this as a warning Mr Canning; do not breach bail, if you breach bail you’ll almost certainly be remanded in custody.”
The matter is back before the court again on June 14.
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