​Hammer-wielding man caused £4,200 damage to police car

James Steele (42), of Meadow Park in Larne, then lobbed the hammer at an officer, Ballymena Magistrates' Court was told.

The defendant pleaded guilty to criminal damage; possessing a hammer as an offensive weapon and being disorderly in the Inver area of the town. He also admitted assaulting a police officer on March 24 this year.

The defendant, who had a record, appeared at court on Thursday via video link from prison.

A prosecutor said that at 1.30am PSNI officers parked a liveried vehicle to go on foot patrol. The defendant then smashed the driver's side window. He was shouting.

Police spoke to him but he continued to shout and scream and raised the hammer above his head and gestured towards the officers.

He continued to advance towards an officer and irritant spray was used. He was ordered to drop the hammer but he threw it at an officer, missing him.

When handcuffed, the defendant continued to shout and use obscenities. The defendant has a diagnosed mental health condition and was off his medication.

Steele, a defence barrister said, had no recollection and doesn't know what triggered his behaviour.

The lawyer said the defendant was not under the influence of any substances. The court was told it cost £4,209 to fix the window.

District Judge Nigel Broderick said it was a very concerning set of facts and added: "To be walking around with a hammer in the early hours of the morning is worrying enough but then to engage so violently with police is of particular concern".

He said it cost over £4,000 of "taxpayers' money" to fix the window. The defendant was given a six months prison term for the incident.

A four months suspended sentence he had previously been given for headbutting a fellow patient at Holywell Hospital in Antrim in January 2025 was activated to make a total sentence of ten months.

The judge did not make any compensation order for the damage as the defendant didn’t have the means to pay it.