Defendant given chance to pay for damage repairs

A man who admitted smashing a window and damaging a door of a house, has been given a chance to pay the repair bill.

Peter Shevlin (32), Moneymore, pleaded guilty to a criminal damage charge arising out of an incident which occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day last.

Sgt Ray Brady said that at 1.15am it was reported a window was smashed in Laurence’s Park.

Gardaí saw Shevlin walking away from the scene. He then told them he broke the window and tried to kick in the door of his girlfriend’s house. She was not there at the time.

The defendant, who said at the outset he didn’t want a solicitor, told Judge Jones he is ‘in the process’ of paying for the damage.

He was trying to get into the house which he said belongs to him and his partner.

‘Pay for the damage if you don’t want to head up the road for a month,’ the judge said.

If there is a receipt in court on 1 February next, Judge Jones continued, he wanted Shevlin to sign a 12-month peace bond.

‘If this house didn’t belong to you, I would send you to jail.’