Limavady woman given a suspended sentence for assault

A woman has been given a suspended sentence at Derry Magistrates Court for an assault from December last year.

Dionne McCallion, 31, of Eventide Gardens in Limavady, was charged with assaulting a man in a takeaway in Shipquay Street in Derry after a Christmas night out.

The court saw CCTV showing McCallion and the victim waiting for food when McCallion turned and began verbally abusing him. 

She then proceeded to strike him a number of times.

When questioned by police, McCallion claimed that the victim had been antagonising her.

It was pointed out to her that the victim had had his hands in his pockets except to defend himself. 

She told the police that she was 'very drunk'. 

Defence Barrister Nickie Rountree said that the victim was lucky he didn't receive more serious injuries. She also said that this was McCallion's first violent offence.

The barrister said that the defendant didn't recognise the woman in the video and wished to apologise for her actions. 

She said that McCallion didn't like the person she became when she took alcohol. 

District Judge Barney McElhom said that it was impossible to know what was being said in the CCTV footage but that the victim was clearly only defending himself and that he had no intention of violence.

He said that it appeared McCallion had no intention of dealing with her substance abuse. 

McCallion was sentenced to four months, suspended for two years.