Coalisland man assaulted teenager wearing Rangers top

A COALISLAND man who assaulted a 16-year-old boy wearing a Rangers football top has been ordered to carry out 160 hours of community service .

Appearing before Dungannon Magistrates Court on Friday was 27-year-old Nathan Quinn, of Meenagh Park, Coalisland.

He was charged with common assault, two counts of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

The court heard that, on August 2 at around 4.20pm, police received a report of an assault in the Union Street area of Cookstown.

Quinn had assaulted the teenager for wearing a Rangers football top and upon his arrest he further assaulted two police officers, the court was told.

The defendant was taken into custody and, when interviewed, he admitted that he had been drinking and could not remember the incident taking place.

While Quinn admitted to resisting arrest, he further claimed that there was no sectarian element in relation to the assault on the teenager.

A defence solicitor admitted to the court that this was a somewhat difficult case, but highlighted that Quinn had successfully completed community service following a previous charge in the past, and that he struggled with his mental health.

The defence solicitor further stated that Mr Quinn’s recollection of events was ‘hazy’ due to alcohol consumption and said that when police arrived on the scene, he had ‘quite a nasty’ injury to his eye, but wasn’t sure how it happened.

Concluding, the defence solicitor told the court that the assault wasn’t of a sectarian nature as Quinn’s partner and his grandmother were of the Protestant faith, and that Quinn was determined to abstain from alcohol.

District Judge Rafferty described Quinn’s behaviour as ‘disgraceful’ and said that no man should ever pick on a 16-year-old boy.

Quinn was ordered to undertake 160 hours community service.