A man who threw tea around a court service holding cell has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
The 32-year-old’s barrister told court that the defendant had lost his temper and acted out of frustration.
Vitor Hugo De-Oliveira, of Churchill Park, Portadown pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Court heard that on April 18, police were called to Craigavon Magistrates’ Court after the defendant threw tea around whilst inside his holding cell.
Defence barrister Aaron Thompson stated: “He was before the court on another matter at the time. He does have a record and every previous conviction has resulted in immediate custody.”
He added: “The criminal damage in some sense was not as bad as what is usually heard. Nothing was broken and there was no spitting or anything of that sort.”
Mr Thompson commented: “Mr De-Oliveira was simply frustrated at the outcome of the day. He asked for tea which he threw around the cell when he lost his temper.”
He added that no-one had been hit or injured by the defendant’s actions.
Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer stated: “Mr De-Oliveira I take into account your plea or guilty and the nature of your behaviour.
“However, you have 61 entries on your record in Northern Ireland, a country you have lived in since 2008.”
De-Oliveira was sentenced to one month in prison suspended for 12 months”.
