A man has been convicted of assault after he approached a grandmother who was pushing her grandchild in a buggy in Larne, causing her to fear for their safety.

Vladislav Arefjev, 40, of Ballycraigy Ring in Larne, appeared at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday with the assistance of a Lithuanian interpreter. He has been in Northern Ireland for a decade.

The court heard that on 15 January 2024, the defendant approached the woman, a complete stranger, on a street in Larne. She was pushing her grandchild in a buggy at the time. He spoke to her in limited English and she did not understand what he wanted.

The woman believed he was reaching towards the grandchild, and she feared for herself and for the child. No physical contact took place.

Police were in the vicinity and the woman called them over, pointing out the defendant. When officers spoke to him, he said he thought he knew the woman and claimed it was customary in his home country to touch someone on the arm.

The defence barrister described it as a random but alarming incident and said the defendant had no memory of it. The court was told Arefjev has no previous convictions but did have a caution for theft. He intends to return to Lithuania.

District Judge Nigel Broderick described the matter as serious, stating that the victim’s personal statement showed the incident caused significant emotional trauma. He noted there was no physical assault but an apprehension assault had occurred.

The judge said he could not impose a community order because the defendant had not cooperated with the Probation Board. He handed down a three-month jail term suspended for one year and imposed a one-year restraining order.