Man threatened to burn down Clanabogan shop, court hears

AN Omagh man has appeared in court for threatening to ‘burn down’ a Clanabogan convenience store last summer.

Before Omagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday stood 33-year-old Martin Joyce, of Culmore Park, charged with threatening to damage property.

The court heard that, on July 9, 2023, Joyce arrived to Colton’s Vivo in Clanabogan accompanied by his wife and children when the owners confronted him.

The owners alleged that Joyce’s children were seen stealing from the shop by CCTV and that the family were banned from the premises.

The defendant then verbally lashed out and an argument ensued between the two parties.

Joyce then told the owner that he was ‘going to burn the shop to the ground’.

It was noted that the children of the owners were present and were very disturbed and upset by the incident. Joyce and his family left. He was arrested following a report made to the police after the incident.

While Deputy District Judge Magill gave credit to Joyce’s guilty plea and lack of offending of this nature, he told the defendant that this was ‘a very foolish thing to do’ and that ‘you may not have actually planned to do it but the man didn’t know that’.

Judge Magill imposed a two-year conditional discharge alongside a two-year restraining order from the owners.