Belfast man who kicked a policewoman in the chest and made car crash and rape comments avoids imprisonment

Wayne Hunter, 35, also spoke about officers being killed in a car crash and raping one of their wives as he attacked members of the PSNI.

He was given an 18-month probation order for the alcohol-fuelled outburst his own lawyer described as “disgusting”.

Hunter, of Seaview Close, admitted four assaults on police along with further common assaults against his own partner and a younger man he chased through the city centre.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he initially became violent towards his girlfriend during an argument when she came home from work on June 14 last year.

He punched and kicked the woman multiple times to the body before leaving the house, prosecutors said.

Later that day police on mobile patrol were alerted to Hunter causing disturbances in the Donegall Place area.

He made off towards City Hall in pursuit of a young male, kicking out at him after officers had caught and brought him to the ground due to his level of aggression.

As the defendant was being escorted to a PSNI car he kicked a policeman on the leg and struck out at a female colleague. Both officers had to restrain him in the back of the vehicle due to his volatility.

While Hunter was being taken into custody he spat on the policewoman’s hand and then kicked her on the chest.

District Judge Steven Keown heard he remained extremely verbally abusive towards police throughout the episode.

He referred to two female constables as “s**gs” and directed a number of sexual remarks at one of the pair.

A Crown lawyer added: “The defendant also made remarks about officers dying in a car crash and raping an officer’s wife. Many of these comments were made within earshot of members of the public.”

Defence barrister Michael Boyd accepted Hunter’s actions were “appalling”. “He has expressed feelings of shame, disgust and embarrassment, he specifically referred to the fact that people don’t go to work to be abused,” counsel said.

Mr Boyd argued his client made immediate admission, with pre-sentence reports recommending him as suitable for community-based probation work.

“His attitude is the opposite of the outrageous, fairly disgusting behaviour displayed over quite a protracted period of time,” the barrister added.

Based on the contents of the report and Hunter’s early guilty plea, Mr Keown said he was “just about” persuaded to give him one chance at a non-custodial sentence.

Imposing 18-months probation, the judge also ordered him to pay a total of £400 in compensation to the two officers he physically assaulted.

But he warned Hunter: “If this comes back to me for a breach of probation… you can probably guess the rest.”