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A Belfast man under the influence of alcohol and cocaine when he was involved in a “mass brawl” at a wedding has been jailed for two months.
Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, heard that police were called to a fight “involving 70 people” at a wedding reception at the O’Neill Arms in Toomebridge on October 27 last year.
A prosecuting lawyer said the fighting had stopped when police arrived, but when officers spoke to staff, they reported that a male who turned out to be 28-year-old Edward Joseph McDonagh had to be “escorted from the premises” after he punched another wedding guest.
Once outside, McDonagh was “screaming and shouting” at two members of staff, and although he took a swing at them, he missed and they ran inside to safety.
Arrested and interviewed, McDonagh, from Mill Race in Belfast, claimed he had “no memory” of any incident, although he later entered guilty pleas to disorderly behaviour and two counts of common assault.