Man kicked police officer on the face

Conor James Collins, of Barrs Lane, pleaded guilty to assaulting and resisting police on March 19.

The 22-years-old also admitted causing damage to an electronic tag, disorderly behaviour and resisting police relating to incidents between May and June, this year.

Derry Magistrate’s Court heard the defendant’s girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of assaulting another female. Collins intervened and became highly aggressive.

He lunged at officers with his fist clenched and struggled violently with them.

Collins was restrained on the ground and kicked out, striking an officer on the face.

The defendant continued to thrash around on the ground, shouting obscenities and calling the officers ‘f***ing scum’.

The court heard Collins was arrested on two separate dates following this incident for breach of bail.

He removed his electronic monitoring tag on one occasion and was arrested hours after appearing at a special sitting of the court because he had consumed alcohol.

He violently resisted police during this arrest.

It was revealed Collins was in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for similar offences.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin told the court Collins involved himself in a situation that was initially not of his making.

He added that ‘discretion would have been the better part of valour’ on that occasion.

District Judge Barney McElholm suspended a three month sentence for 18 months.