Man living in bushes jailed after smashing bottles in street

A MAN living in bushes due to coronavirus symptoms has been handed a prison sentence for smashing beer bottles and urinating in the street.

Zoltan Dobie also scraped a car as he walked through traffic in the centre of Ballymena, Co Antrim on Monday.

The 48-year-old, of no fixed abode, was given a three-month sentence after admitting disorderly behaviour, criminal damage and indecent behaviour.

Ballymena Magistrates Court, sitting in Belfast, heard Dobie had been spotted on Linenhall Street, shouting and cursing as he drank bottles of beer. He was observed smashing the empty bottles and relieving himself while walking along the road.

A prosecution lawyer said: “(Following arrest) the defendant stated that he was homeless and had been living in bushes in Ballymena for the last three weeks.”

Defence solicitor Stewart Ballentine said his client had lived in the US, coming to Northern Ireland 10 years ago. He met a lady in Carrickfergus, but when that relationship ended he moved to Ballymena, where “things took a turn for the worse”.

Mr Ballentine added: “My client had accommodation, but developed symptoms of Covid-19 and had to remove himself from that address because he didn’t want to infect others there.”

Imposing three months of imprisonment for the disorderly behaviour and criminal damage, District Judge Mark Hamill also fined Dobie £100 for urinating in the street.