Jailed for damaging car and biting officer

Donald Brian McComb, North Street, Lurgan, appeared last Friday at Craigavon Magistrates Court via videolink from Maghaberry prison.

He admitted criminal damage to a car on July 16 last year, interfering with a car, two assaults on police and resisting a police officer.

The court heard that police received a report of three people causing damage to a car in Enniskeen, Craigavon.

Witnesses saw the three people who were wearing hooded tops.

Fingerprint evidence was taken from a door of the vehicle and it matched with the defendant who was found at Rectory Road in Lurgan.

McComb kicked out, striking an officer, and also bit another officer.

When interviewed at a later date he said he had no recollection of what he was doing on July 16.

A solicitor representing McComb said that his client had not worked for 10 years and had now obtained a job.

He added that there was not any particular damage caused to the vehicle, McComb only kicked out at an officer and the bite did not break the skin.

The solicitor said this was the first time McComb ever had full-time employment and it was something which could steer him away from what previously happened on his record.

Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer said that McComb had 75 entries on his criminal record.

He pointed out that the defendant at Newry court in 2014 had received a sentence of nine months in custody and nine months on licence for a series of assaults and attempted theft.

The judge said he could not deal with this matter in any other way than a custodial sentence.

For each offence he sentenced McComb to four months in prison with the terms to run concurrently.