Suspended sentence for '˜nasty' assault

A 31-year-old man who admitted a '˜nasty' assault on a female has received a suspended sentence.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Feb 2016, 15:25 BST
Updated 1st Feb 2016, 16:30 BST
The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.
The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.

Patrick Christopher Stokes, of Carnhill, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The charge relates to an incident on May 23, last year.

The details of the case were not outlined to the court.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said while his client has a criminal record he has no convictions for violence.

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He added that Stokes admitted the offence even though the injured party had made a withdrawal statement.

Mr Devlin said ‘unhappily’ both Stokes and the injured party had been drinking at the time of the assault.

He told the court Stokes did not use this as an excuse but ‘an explanation for why he acted in a way that was out of character for him’.

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

He also ordered the 31-year-old to pay £400 compensation to the injured party.