Aaron Collins, of Trasna Way in Lurgan, received a three-month prison sentence at Ballymena Magistrates' Court. He appeared via video link from prison on Thursday. Collins admitted two assault charges from an incident at Galgorm Resort on February 6, plus a charge of assaulting a police officer.

Collins and his girlfriend stayed overnight at the hotel. After an argument between them, someone alerted staff. Collins then headbutted one staff member. No injury resulted from the headbutt.

Collins directed racial abuse at a second staff member, who feared assault. Police found Collins intoxicated in a bed. In his police interview, Collins said he remembered nothing due to intoxication.

A defence barrister stated Collins served four years in the armed forces. Originally from England, he moved to Northern Ireland to improve his life after associating with the wrong group there. The barrister noted Collins went out to mark Valentine's Day and now fully accepts his actions were wrong. He expressed remorse.

Collins spent seven weeks in custody on remand before sentencing. District Judge Nigel Broderick called the matter serious. He noted the case involved a headbutt on one staff member and racial abuse toward another. The judge stated the racial abuse qualified as hostility that aggravated the offences.