Dissident republican Donnelly found guilty of assaulting police inspector
A leading dissident republican was convicted yesterday in the Magistrate's Court in Derry of assaulting a PSNI inspector.
Gary Donnelly, 39, from Rinmore Drive in the Creggan area of the city, was also convicted of obstructing another police officer and was additionally found guilty of a further charge of disorderly behaviour.
He was fined 450 following his three convictions which he is to appeal.
However, in a reserved judgement following a four day trial, District Judge Barney McElholm said there was insufficient evidence to convict Donnelly of two related charges of resisting arrest and he dismissed those charges.
The five charges relate to an incident at Foyle Street close to the city centre in Derry on November 16, 2007, when Donnelly sustained a three part fracture of his left arm during the fracas between him and police officers who had stopped him and asked to search him.
The District Judge said while there were a number of discrepancies in the evidence given by police officers during the trial, he believed the discrepancies proved that the officers had not colluded before giving their evidence.
"However, it surprises me somewhat that no-one took seriously enough Mr. Donnelly's protestations that his arm was broken", Mr. McElholm said.
The District Judge said that, while the circumstances surrounding how Donnelly sustained a broken arm were "unresolved and unclear", he believed it occurred when Donnelly "fell to the ground together with Inspector John Neil with substantial force".
He described Donnelly's assault on Insp. Neil as "at the lower end of assaults" but said he was satisfied that Donnelly had "thrown punches at Insp. Neil which did not land with any great force".
The District Judge said the incidents happened after Donnelly had refused a police request to move off the road and onto the footpath to be searched. That refusal, he said, was clearly obstruction.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Derry
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 8 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
