By 
A STRABANE man was today jailed for twice punching his grandmother during an attack in her home last year.
Appearing before Strabane Magistrates Court today was Paul Devine (19) of Castletown Court. Pleading guilty to a number of charges, Devine also received a number of fines and was handed a driving disqualification following a series of driving related offences which took place between June and December last year.
The court heard that on June 13, police were on patrol in the Ballycolman area of Strabane when they observed Devine driving a scrambler motorbike.
Upon approaching the defendant, it was said Devine mounted a pavement on the vehicle and managed to flee the scene.
Later that day, police visited Devine’s address where he was further observed running from the property via the back door.
On June 24, Devine was cautioned for failing to step, not wearing a helmet and having no MOT or insurance on his vehicle.
Later that week on June 27, police observed Devine driving a motorcycle without a helmet or registration plate on the Melmount Road at approximately 7.55pm.
Once again, Devine failed to stop, with police pursuing him through the Sion Mills area before he drove off through a field.
He was later observed mounting a pavement and driving over a footbridge towards the Ballycolman area.
A short time later, police located Devine and, upon being arrested, he spat at the arresting officer.
He was taken to Strabane custody suite where he made full admission to the offences.
On December 1, police received a report from a concerned family member stating the Devine had assaulted his grandmother.
It was said that on November 30, Devine had entered his grandmother’s home in Strabane and demanded that she take him to the shop, as he had previously been disqualified from driving.
When she refused, Devine then followed her into another room where he punched her twice.
When leaving the property, he slammed the door multiple times, causing a window to smash in the process. Following this, he verbally assaulted her.
When arrested the following day, Devine admitted to the assault claiming he was ‘going mad’.
A defence solicitor described Devine’s actions as ‘despicable’ and said it ‘doesn’t get much worse’.
Accepting that Devine was facing a custodial sentence, the solicitor asked for credit for his guilty plea, further describing him as a man with ‘special education needs’ and ‘drug and alcohol issues’ who had been orphaned at the age of 17.
They further noted that Devine had served the equivalent of two months in custody and that he was under the influence when he assaulted his grandmother.
Taking all charges into consideration, District Judge Alana McSorley sentenced Devine to a total of six months in custody and ordered him to pay a £250 compensation order to cover the damages to his grandmother’s property.
A two year restraining order was also granted to the injured party, and Devine was handed a 12-month driving disqualification and a total of £900 in fines for his driving related offences.
