A Co Antrim man accused of biting and kicking out at five police officers was today ordered to stand trial in the Crown Court.
Appearing in the dock of Coleraine Magistrates Court, Harley McHenry confirmed he was aware of the seven charges against him, all alleged to have been committed on March 5 this year.
McHenry, from Brookfield Gardens in Ahoghill, faces five charges of assaulting police officers — four male constables and one female sergeant — resisting police and causing criminal damage to an officer’s watch strap.
When the defendant first appeared in court on these charges nine months ago, a police officer outlined how police had responded to a report of a man and a woman fighting inside Joey’s Bar in Ballymoney. However, when they arrived, the woman told the PSNI that “nothing happened and that they [she and McHenry] were not in a relationship”.
The reporting person maintained, however, that McHenry and the woman had been hitting each other, but officers were not able to record a statement at the time “as the crew were engaged in restraining them both”.
“Both of them were highly intoxicated and violent and being disorderly,” said the constable, adding that, according to the police case, McHenry was lashing out at the crew, biting them and kicking them.
In a statement released immediately after the incident, Chief Inspector McIldowney said that as police arrested McHenry and a 25-year-old woman, “in total, six officers were injured during this incident last night. The injuries sustained to our officers included bites to their arms, nails being dug into their arms, causing broken skin, and one officer was kicked to the head and body several times.
“This officer was left with bruising and marks on his head and behind his ear, a cut to his thumb, and a broken watch. All officers were also continuously spat at during the incident, which is not only disgusting but completely unacceptable.
“Imagine showing up for work, day after day, to keep your community safe, yet being subjected to this type of abuse. Put yourselves in the boots of our officers and think how you would feel. Assaults on police are completely unacceptable and must not be tolerated as simply being ‘part of the job’. Our ask is that officers and the work they do should not be taken for granted. No one should be treated the way they were last night.
“Thankfully any injury sustained did not require hospital treatment and all officers were fit to remain on duty, but these attacks on police must stop immediately.”
In court today, a prosecuting lawyer submitted there is a prima facie case against McHenry, which was conceded by defence counsel Brendan Kearney, while the defendant himself declined to exercise his rights to comment on the charges or to call evidence on his own behalf.
Releasing McHenry on continuing bail, District Judge Peter King returned the case to Antrim Crown Court for trial and scheduled the arraignment to be heard on January 8.