Man appears in court charged with assaulting police enforcing covid rules in Derry/Londonderry

by Q Radio News

District Judge Barney McElholm has said that if the government were serious about enforcing Covid regulations they would pass legislation giving 'some teeth'.

He was speaking as a man appeared at Derry Magistrate's Court charged with assaulting police as they tried to enforce Covid rules.
Kevin Brady (38) of Ballymagowan Avenue in Derry faced three charges of assaulting police on October 18.

The court heard police attended a birthday party in connection with the breach of regulations and the incidents were said to have occurred then.

A police officer opposed bail on the grounds that Brady showed no regard for police or courts.

Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said the charges would be 'strenuously contested' as there were numerous issues surrounding the legality of the police entering the property which was a family birthday party attended by family members only.

He said that during the incident the defendant and his wife 'had come off worse' as they were pepper sprayed.

He said it would be some time before this case would come to court and there would be complaints to the Police Ombudsman.

Mr MacDermott said there did appear to have been a breach of Covid regulations but no fixed penalty had been served on the homeowner.

Judge McElholm said it came as no surprise to him to hear that Brady had no regard for police or the court.

He said there were those who believed that breach of the Covid regulations should carry an immediate custodial sentence but this had not be legislated for.

He added that even as 'a casual observer' it was clear to him that these family gatherings were one of the reasons why we had gone from being one of the lowest rates of infection in the world to one of the highest.

The judge said that if the government was serious about enforcement of the rules they should legislate for that.

He released Brady on bail to appear again next month.