‘poor record’ | 

Thug who bit cop outside pub is jailed for four months then bailed to appeal

Defence lawyer Grant Powles said his client had been drink and drug-free for five weeks

Today at 07:35

A man who assaulted police officers after being ejected from a pub has been sentenced to four months in jail.

But Shane McBurney was bailed for an appeal following a hearing at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday.

District Judge Nigel Broderick described the matter as “a very bad case of assaulting the police”.

He said: “They are public servants and not there to be bitten, punched and spat on.”

He also told the court the defendant had a “poor record for mainly offences of violence and disorderly behaviour”.

The 29-year-old, from Fort View in Ballymoney, had earlier entered guilty pleas to six offences arising from events on May 19 — five counts of assaulting police and a single count of disorderly behaviour.

He also admitted driving without insurance on Raceview Road in Broughshane on April 27 last year.

A prosecuting lawyer said in the most recent incident, staff at the Grouse Bar on Ballymoney Road called the PSNI after a fight broke out.

While it had finished by the time police arrived, McBurney was refusing to leave the pub.

When the PSNI spoke to him, he “became immediately verbally abusive”, “shouting and grinding his teeth” in the face of a policewoman and struggling when he was put into handcuffs.

An officer sustained bruising to her arms and legs during the assault. She was also left with “severe pain” in a shoulder, with a colleague suffering an injury to her left wrist.

After McBurney was taken to the ground and bit a constable on the finger, he was placed in limb restraints.

Defence lawyer Grant Powles said his client had been drink and drug-free for five weeks.

He added that he wanted to turn his life around and urged the court to impose a period of probation to give him support and supervision.

But Judge Broderick countered that McBurney had been given “every opportunity” with probation and community service.

He sentenced him to four months in prison for the assaults, alongside a £200 fine.

McBurney was also handed six penalty points for driving with no insurance.

He was freed to fight the sentence after the hearing was told the Appeal Court may not sit until later this month.