A 22-year-old man has been jailed for four months at Antrim Magistrates' Court after admitting he stole a medication bag from an ambulance, an act that left the vehicle unable to respond to other calls for most of the night.

Martin Dempster, whose address was given as Barra Street in Antrim town, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and possession of diazepam on Tuesday. He appeared via video link from prison.

The court heard that on Saturday July 25, police received a report of a theft from an ambulance at around 4.45am. The ambulance had earlier attended an address on Steeple Road in Antrim at 4am and transported a patient and Dempster to Antrim Area Hospital. When paramedics took the patient inside for treatment, Dempster remained outside, claiming he wanted to smoke a cigarette.

On returning to the vehicle, paramedics noticed the medication bag was missing. Police later spotted Dempster walking along Bush Road carrying the bag. The bag contained diazepam.

A police officer previously told the court that the ambulance was out of service for most of the remainder of the evening because it no longer had medication for potential patients. The officer said this had a knock-on effect for the general public.

A defence barrister said Dempster was a drug addict and the theft had been opportunistic.

District Judge Peter Magill noted that Dempster, who is not yet 23, had already amassed 99 convictions. The judge described the theft as taking medication that was there for a person in need, and he said the defendant appeared to have done it to feed his drug addiction.

The judge acknowledged that anyone would have sympathy for a person suffering from addiction, but he said it was no excuse. He added that the stage had long passed where an individual's circumstances could take precedence over public welfare, including ensuring that items are not stolen from ambulances.