Omagh man expresses ‘shame’ after strangling police officer

AN Omagh man said he felt ‘ashamed’ after strangling a police officer to the ground.

Before Omagh Magistrates Court stood 31-year-old Sean Connelly, of Fox Park, who was charged with assaulting police and non-fatal strangulation.

The court was told that, on September 9, 2023, shortly after 1am, police were in the John Street area of Omagh where they observed a man, later identified as the defendant, ‘shouting and swinging’ at a crowd.

Police spoke to the male and attempted to move him away from the crowd when he became aggressive.

With two hands, he grabbed the neck of one officer and strangled them to the ground, causing an ‘inability to breathe’.

Another officer intervened and pulled Connolly away, but the defendant responded by punching them in the face.

arrested

Connelly was then pepper-sprayed and brought to the ground before being arrested.

Defence solicitor, Michael Fahy, acknowledged the ‘serious undertones’ of the assault.

He told the court that Connelly was ‘ashamed, embarrassed and completely unaware of the incident at the time’.

Mr Fahy also said that the assault was ‘entirely reprehensible’, but claimed that Connelly had since ‘tackled’ his issues with drugs and alcohol.

Deputy District Judge Rafferty sentenced Connolly to 140 hours of community service and ordered him to pay £300 in compensation to the officer he strangled.