A thug who assaulted and racially abused a shopping mall security guard after defecating outside the premises was given a four-month jail term today, but freed on bail pending an appeal of the sentence.
At Antrim Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Ballymena, District Judge Nigel Broderick told 34-year-old Ciaran McCrory his behaviour had been “traumatic and wholly unacceptable”.
“Individuals with this racist attitude must be dealt with severely by the courts and this court will not accept anyone being physically and or racially abused,” he warned.
McCrory, from Barra Street in Antrim, had earlier entered guilty pleas to assault, indecent behaviour and disorderly behaviour at Castle Mall in the town.
A prosecuting lawyer told the court how police responded to a report of assault on February 19 this year. When officers arrived, the security guard told them he had allowed the defendant to use the toilet just before the mall closed.
Despite having just used the toilet, McCrory went outside and “defecated against the wall, outside the door”.
The lawyer added that when the security guard “offered to allow him to use the toilet again, he refused”.
McCrory then subjected him to “racial abuse and physical assault”, with the victim being punched to the back of his head.
The lawyer said McCrory asked him if “he had the right to be in this country”.
McCrory also threatened that “black people would be dealt with one by one” and that he called the security guard a “black monkey”.
Questioned by police, the defendant claimed he had no memory of the incident because he had been drinking in a local bar since lunch-time, but that he was “ashamed and embarrassed”.
Defence solicitor Stewart Ballentine reiterated this, outlining how McCrory “cannot believe he would behave in this way”.
District Judge Broderick said he was “entirely satisfied that the custody threshold had been crossed”, and although he imposed a jail sentence, McCrory was released on bail pending an appeal.
Freeing McCrory on his own bail of £500, the judge said the “one reason” he was being released was because there is no appeal court until next month.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)
