Drunk man urinated at airport terminal on St Patrick’s Day and spat on police officer

Anthony Berry (47), of Ballycorr Gardens, Ballyclare, also spat on a policewoman, Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena on Tuesday was told.

He admitted charges of disorderly behaviour, indecent behaviour, assaulting a police officer and causing criminal damage to a vehicle belonging to airport police.

The defendant, who also spat at a police officer inside a PSNI vehicle during another incident in May this year, was jailed for four months.

A prosecutor told the court that at 9.30pm on March 17 this year police attended the domestic arrivals area of the airport following a report of a man asking staff for alcohol and cigarettes.

Berry was asleep on a chair and police could smell intoxicating liquor and he had a bottle of vodka at his feet.

He was awakened by police and was drinking vodka from a cup. He was asked to stop drinking but refused and began swearing at police.

He was escorted from the terminal and made “crude gestures” and swore at female police officers.

The court heard Berry urinated at the front of the terminal building and when arrested, and after caution, he continued to urinate whilst laughing and saying “Whatever”.

He kicked out at a door whilst being escorted to a police vehicle and continued to swear and be abusive to officers.

In the vehicle he spat on a seat and the centre console and whilst waiting in the vehicle to get into Antrim PSNI Station he said: “I’m p*ssing in your car” and was further arrested for criminal damage.

The prosecutor said Berry spat repeatedly in the vehicle including on the head of a female officer.

The court heard the defendant had a criminal record in England and Northern Ireland.

The court was told in 1997 the defendant had been given jail sentence in London for an incident in 1996.

A defence lawyer said Berry normally lives in England and had been in Northern Ireland to visit his mother.

On March 17 the defendant “was at the airport with a view to going back to England but couldn’t thereafter because he was on bail”.

The lawyer admitted the incidents were “very distasteful”.

He said the defendant was “quite embarrassed” and wished to apologise, particularly in relation to urinating in the police car.

The lawyer added: “He had been drinking and had little or no recollection. He had been trying to get home to England and that is why he was up at the airport. He had missed a flight and was going to wait for a flight the following morning”.

In relation to urinating in the police car the lawyer said Berry had told officers he needed to go to the toilet and had been sitting in the vehicle for some time at the station.

During the May incident the lawyer said the defendant was concerned about the “restraint technique” used by police and “couldn’t breath”.

Jailing the defendant, District Judge Nigel Broderick told Berry: “Your behaviour at the airport was totally appalling and to spit at a police officer especially in the middle of a global pandemic is an aggravating feature.”