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06 Sept 2025

Derry Court: Man jailed for offences committed at Altnagelvin Hospital

He was jailed for five months

Man returned for trial to Derry Crown Court on 28 charges

Reporter:

Staff Reporter

14 Apr 2023 1:22 PM

A judge at Derry Magistrate's Court has said that anyone who misbehaves in a medical setting 'deserves immediate custody'.

The comments came as a man was jailed for offences committed at Altnagelvin Hospital on January 17 this year. 
Mark Farmer (18) of Dacre Terrace in Derry admitted a series of offences that occurred on that date in the hospital.
The court heard that police were called to the hospital after Farmer had kicked a door causing damage. 
An ambulance crew member tried to calm Farmer but he became 'irate' and put the worker in fear of being assaulted.
Farmer told the ambulance member to 'come outside we will sort this out.'
When Farmer was arrested a small amount of cannabis was found on him. 
The court was also told about an incident on October 11 when police received a report of an assault on a female at Rockmills. 
The reporting person told police about a female being assaulted in a lift by someone who was then a resident of Rockmills. 
Police also found that a car parked outside had been damaged by having a wing mirror kicked off. 
Police went to a flat and we're allowed in by a female and found Farmer asleep on a couch. 
CCTV showed Farmer behaving in 'a threatening manner' towards the female who accepted she reacted first before the defendant pushed her.
Shortly after police were called to a report of a broken window at Dominoes and CCTV identified Farmer as being the person who threw a sign at the window. 
Overall the damage was set at more than £1,000.
Defence counsel Michael Donaghey said that the court would not be 'impressed' by Farmer's behaviour nor by the fact he did not co-operate with probation.
He said the offences were 'very serious' and a significant amount of damage had been caused.
As regards the offences in the hospital the barrister said that the very location of the incident was an aggravating factor in itself. 
He said his client was 'ashamed' of all the offences.
Deputy District Judge Austin Kennedy said that the offences were 'quite simply appalling'.
He said that the hospital offences were all the worse as people were there with their own problems. 
He jailed Farmer for five months. 

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