Man jailed for assault on doctor in Altnagelvin

Gerard Patrick Mullen, whose address was given on court papers as Springfield Road, Belfast but is formally of Duddy’s Court, Derry, pleaded guilty to five different sets of offences between December 2014 and April this year.

The charges include common assault, disorderly behaviour, assaulting police and criminal damage.

Derry Magistrate’s Court heard that in December 2014, Mullen was witnessed assaulting a woman in a flat in Dunvale Close.

He kicked the front door of the property, which the injured party was standing behind.

This caused her to stumble backwards and three other girls jumped on her whilst she was on the ground.

During police interview, the 30-year-old denied assaulting the woman or damaging the door.

The next incident took place in The Diamond as police were on parade duties.

The court heard Mullen was intoxicated and was trying to get through barriers towards the bands.

Officers attempted to get him back onto the pavement but he ignored them.

Mullen began shouting at police and towards the marchers, stating ‘who are them marching up my f****** street’.

In April this year, the defendant was in the accident and emergency department of Altnagelvin Hospital. He had been difficult and verbally abusive throughout his stay.

As a doctor attempted to conduct a physical examination, Mullen lunged towards the doctor.

The court heard the 30-year-old had been sleeping at the time and the doctor tried to rouse him by squeezing his shoulder.

The doctor was ‘intimidated’ by Mullen’s behaviour.

Mullen was also arrested after he went into a city centre shop and ‘threatened to slice people up.’

He did not have a weapon at the time, was highly intoxicated and was ejected from the store.

The final incident involved Mullen shouting sectarian abuse at police.

He had been kicking the door of a property in Hawkin Street and was verbally abusive when police arrived.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said his client has a dependency on drugs which has ‘over taken him’ in recent times.

He added Mullen has been behaving ‘totally erratically and irrationally’ and is ashamed of himself.