A new year gathering resulted in police being called to Raceview Drive and arresting an individual who was later charged with assaulting two female victims – Coleraine Magistrates’ has heard.
The Court sitting in Ballymena on Monday (February 1) heard that the incident occurred in the early hours of New Year’s day when the defendant had an argument with one of the injured parties causing the female to fall and sustain a cut to her head. A second female – a friend of the first female – tried to intervene and was herself assaulted in doing so.
Andrew Duffin from Raceview Drive Ballymoney was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a kitchen knife, in the vicinity of Raceview Drive.
The Court heard that following the defendant’s arrest, he told police that it was “only a push, I didn’t mean to hurt her”.
Defence Solicitor Denise Gillan told the court that her client had made full admissions to the police despite the injured parties not making statements and that the incident was ‘fuelled by alcohol’.
The Defence also told the court the reason for the defendant lifting the kitchen knife was as a result of himself being assaulted by a third party and that he only wanted to ‘scare’ this individual. The knife was then removed from the defendant by another neighbour.
District Judge Peter King fined the defendant £300 for the offensives, a £15 offenders levy and a destruction order for the knife. Judge King also ordered the defendant to pay a compensation order to both injured parties of £100 each.
