Man under arrest for public order offences was pepper-sprayed twice

A County Antrim native had to be pepper-sprayed twice while under arrest for public order offences in Ardara, Glenties District Court was told.
Paul Maguire (40) of Fruithill Park, Antrim pleaded guilty to using threatening and abusive behaviour and obstruction of Garda Paul McCrossan at Drumbarron, Ardara on October 25 last year.
A charge of assaulting his partner causing her harm was withdrawn after the alleged victim made a “negative statement”.
Garda McCrossan told the court he saw a number of cars blocking the road in Ardara and there was “a bit of a row in progress”.
The garda said the defendant was stripped to the waist and then he struck a female and she fell back into the door of a barber shop.
The garda arrested the defendant on suspicion of assault causing harm.

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He handcuffed the defendant, and he was co-operative at that stage.
The garda said the woman was bleeding from the mouth and she said her teeth were knocked out and there was a cut to the back of her head.
The garda took the defendant to the patrol car where he complained that the handcuffs were too tight.
He then lunged towards the female who was also in the car, saying: “ I will break your fucking face”.
“I had to use pepper spray on him for fear he was going to attack the female,” the garda said.
He added that Garda O’Donnell attended to the female.
The defendant complained about the handcuffs again, and again moved towards the female and had to be pepper-sprayed for the second time.
The garda said he had a first aid kit and dressed the wound to the back of the woman’s head.
The court was told that the lady's dentures were in the back of a taxi.
The garda added that both parties were and still are partners.
Both parties were very drunk, the court heard.
Both had reconciled since the incident.
The defendant apologised when he had sobered up, the court heard.

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Defence solicitor Frank Dorrian said his client was 40, had no previous convictions and he and his partner had taken an “unhealthy amount of alcohol”.
She had lost her dentures, but the defendant understood that this incident cannot happen.

Obstruction
On the obstruction charge, Mr Dorrian said the defendant was trying to get away from the garda.
Mr Dorrian said the matter with the dentures was unseemly, but it was not the worst incident.
Judge Brendan O’Reilly said the defendant had engaged in “shocking behaviour”.
And he could thank an able solicitor and generous garda and he was very lucky “not to be going to prison”.
Judge O’Reilly fined the defendant €1.000, found the facts proved and took the charge of obstruction into consideration.