The Five Demands

IRA supporter’s ‘cowardly and repulsive’ attacks (The Impartial Reporter)
A 22-year-old IRA supporter has been jailed for four months for his “cowardly and repulsive” attacks on police.
Jason Brian Magerr, of Hillview Park, Enniskillen, head-butted and spat on officers and threatened to shoot them in the head.
The jail term will run consecutive to the 10-month sentence imposed on him in February for a series of similar violent offences.
Magerr appeared at Fermanagh Court by video link from Maghaberry Prison and admitted assaulting two police officers and attempting to damage the window of a police car.
Outlining the circumstances of the case, a prosecutor explained that at approximately 1am on August 25, last year, police saw Magerr arguing with a man outside Kenny’s chip shop at Belmore Street in Enniskillen. They stopped to speak to him and he immediately punched the window of their car. He was arrested and struggled with police. He was placed in the police car where he spat in the face of the arresting officer. He also head-butted an officer and spat on the windscreen of the car, calling an officer a “f–king bastard”.
The court heard that Magerr remained agitated and continued to struggle with police, shouting: “Whenever I get out of here I’m going to shoot you in the f–king head. Up the ‘RA.”
Defence solicitor, Mr. Gary Smyth, said it was “particularly unsavoury behaviour”. Magerr certainly had a relevant criminal record and there was a certain amount of inevitability about the outcome so he didn’t want to trouble the court with a pre-sentence probation report.
Mr. Smyth pointed out that Magerr is currently in custody in relation to other offences and is due to be released in August.
However, District Judge Liam McNally told Magerr: “This was cowardly and repulsive behaviour in head-butting and spitting at police officers.”
Jailing him for four months, he said the sentence would run consecutive to the one he is currently serving “to mark the seriousness of the offences”.