Patrick McDonagh, of Erne Park in Kesh, appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court on Monday for sentencing on multiple charges. The 38-year-old admitted offences from two separate incidents earlier this year.

On 6 March, police arrested McDonagh and discovered him carrying seven pregabalin tablets, 114 zopiclone tablets, and two grammes of cannabis, which was found in the rear footwell of a vehicle.

On 29 April, shortly after 3.40pm, police received a report of criminal damage at a café in the Enniskillen Bus Depot. A prosecutor said an intoxicated man ordered a coffee without money, then spat on the glass screen protecting staff. The court heard the screen was a Covid safety measure, and without it the spit would have struck a female employee.

Officers reviewed CCTV and arrested McDonagh. He resisted, telling them to leave or he would punch them, and then spat at one of the constables.

Defence barrister Alan Blackburn told the court that his client was deeply ashamed and had apologised during his police interview. Mr Blackburn said McDonagh, who has a substantial record, was receiving addiction treatment at the Asha Centre in Omagh, and that the defendant understood he was at real risk of imprisonment.

District Judge Alana McSorley called the actions deplorable but noted the early guilty plea, McDonagh’s remorse, and his ongoing battle with addiction. For the drugs offences, she imposed a three-month prison sentence, suspended for one year. For the April incident, she deferred sentencing for six months to test his engagement with the treatment programme, warning that failure to cooperate would leave her with no alternative to custody.