A Derry man spat in a Garda’s face and then urinated in a Garda cell after he crashed his car into a tree in Co Donegal.
Nathan McNulty was caught after Gardai responded to a man driving erratically at Quigley’s Point in Inishowen on July 4th, 2020.
McNulty appeared at Buncrana District Court to face a number of charges including having no insurance, assault, causing criminal damage and having possession of drugs.
Judge Eiteain Cunningham was told in evidence there had been reports that there had been tyres screeching and a loud bang and that a car had crashed into a tree.
When Gardai arrived at the scene at the Three Trees, a silver Lexus had crashed and locals were trying to restrain a man who was being aggressive with them.
Gardai tried to speak with the man who was later identified as Nathan McNulty, of Eglinton Terrace in Derry.
As he was being spoken to he continued to be aggressive and spat in the face of Garda Keith Conlon before he was arrested.
When McNulty was taken to the local Garda station he continued to be aggressive and when placed in the holding cell he urinated on the wall and cell door before refusing to give a sample to a designated nurse.
Gardai later searched McNulty’s car at the pound in Burnfoot and found €20 of cannabis in the vehicle.
On another occasion on April 28th, 2022, McNulty had been stopped driving a white Berlingo van at Carnamoyle, Muff, for which he did not have insurance for.
And on June 16th, 2022, he was stopped traveling at speed and arrested. When a blood sample was taken later, McNulty, with an address at Eglington Terrace in Derry, was found positive for cannabis.
The court was told that McNulty has previous convictions in this jurisdiction for public order offences.
His solicitor, Mr Frank Dorrian, said his client was a man in his late 20s, who had “lost interest in his own welfare” since returning from Australia.
He had discovered that the streets were not paved with gold in Australia and he had returned to his native Derry unable to fund any lifestyle for himself.
“His anger and violence displayed was indicative of his mindset at the time,” said Mr Dorrian.
He reiterated that McNulty was a young man who returned from Australia after things didn’t work out and arrived back in a state of anxiety and depression.
However, he was determined to mend his ways and now works as a mechanic and has a partner and two children which “have brought him to his senses a good deal.”
Judge Cunningham said she was anxious to deal with certain parts of McNulty’s case saying she deemed any assault on any Garda a serious offence.
She also said that the incident in which McNulty urinated in the Garda cell was “most disrespectful” to Gardai.
Dealing with the traffic matters, Judge Cunningham fined McNulty a total of €400 and also disqualified him from holding a driving license for four years in total.
She asked Gardai to get victim impact statements in the case and ordered a probation and welfare report on McNulty before adjourning the case until June 13th next.
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