Man jailed for being disorderly at Altnagelvin hospital

 

 
A Derry man with more than 200 previous convictions has been jailed at the local Magistrate’s Court.
Patrick Farren (54) of Stoneburn Place in Derry admitted being disorderly in Altnagelvin Hospital, two counts of assaulting police, criminal damage to a body worn camera and one of resisting that took place on May 9.
He also admitted another disorderly charge that took place on May 12.
The court was told that police received a report of a man being disorderly at A&E and when they arrived they found Farren lying outside shouting and swearing.
Police tried to get him on his feet and he shouted an obscenity’.
He struggled with police and struck one officer in the chest with his head and kicked out at another. He continued to struggle and in the course of this he damaged the camera worn by one officer.
Defence barrister Ms Nicola Coulter told the court that Farren was well known to the court. She said he had gone to the hospital to get an X-Ray and in the melee with police he did not intent to break the camera.
She said within a few days he had come to police attention again and took up a lot of police time.
District Judge Barney McElholm said that Farren had over 200 previous convictions of which 104 were for disorderly and 21 for assaulting police.
Farren was sentenced to 8 months in prison.