Probation for man with Stanley knife who 'wanted to kill any small blonde fat woman because that's what his mother looked like'
A man with a knife who said he was "going to kill any small fat blonde woman" was put on probation for a year today.
Ballymena Magistrates' Court heard that Patrick Quinn made the comment because the description he gave matched his deceased biological mother and he believed "hurting someone that looks like his late mother may make him feel better".
The 26-year-old admitted a knife-related charge in relation to April 16 this year.
The defendant, with an address listed as Dunclug Park in Ballymena, also pleaded guilty to attempting to cause criminal damage to a cell van at Antrim Area Hospital on April 17 this year.
He appeared at Ballymena Magistrates' Court via video link from prison on Thursday.
An earlier court heard police located the defendant on the evening of April 16 at Old Grange Avenue a short distance away from a church hall and when searched he had a Stanley Knife.
He was taken to Antrim Area Hospital "due to concerns that he overdosed on drugs" and whilst waiting outside in a police cell van he kicked a door and internal camera in the vehicle.
When interviewed, he said he had a blade to hurt someone with it, but said he could not remember saying he wanted to kill someone.
The defendant had no previous record.
A defence barrister said an assessment had categorised the incident as a "one-off episode".
The defendant had been on bail for a time but had spent five months in custody on remand.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said the facts were "quite disturbing".
He said a medical report from June said Quinn's mental state was stable at that stage.
The defendant had previously been using "illicit substances".
The judge told the defendant that having a knife with intent to hurt somebody was of "significant concern".
He said the defendant had already served the equivalent of a 10-month sentence in prison.
The defendant was released from prison, but judge Broderick said it is important that the defendant is monitored and supported to prevent further offending.
He said the defendant should attend appointments with his GP, mental health professionals, and a psychologist, and do any work as recommended by probation after he was put on probation for a year.