Conditional discharge after A&E disturbance

A twenty-nine-year-old man who was disorderly in casualty at Altnagelvin last month received a conditional discharge at Derry Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.
The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.

A PPS solicitor told the court how police were called to the A&E Department on November 15, following reports of a disturbance.

Upon arrival they found Patrick Lynch of Lisfannon Park causing a disturbance and when he was spoken to the defendant used bad language towards officers, the court heard. Lynch was “quite upset” and refused to calm down when asked to do so.

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Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said that Lynch had taken “very ill” on the night of the offence and that he had been taken to Altnagelvin, not of his own volition, but after someone had called an ambulance on his behalf.

He said Lynch had suffered from ill health over the past five years and that the defendant will be seeking help for his medical issues by attending the Waterside Health Centre. Mr Devlin told the court that the defendant’s concerned family were in attendance and that the incident had been very much out of character.

Deputy District Judge Terence Dunlop said he accepted the behaviour had been “out of character” but also registered the court’s strong disapproval of any obstructuon to hospital staff carrying out their duties.

Taking account of Lynch’s health issues Deputy District Judge Dunlop agreed to a conditional discharge for two years.

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