A 19-year-old man has admitted to spraying hen manure across the streets of Ballymena in a bizarre “act of protest” against the town’s inaugural Pride parade.
Isaac Adams, from Lislaban Road, Cloughmills, appeared before Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday following the incident on Saturday morning. He faces charges of criminal damage, possessing a lock knife, and causing manure to be deposited on the road.
The court heard that Mr Adams was apprehended “red-handed” by police in the early hours of Saturday, wearing a balaclava and carrying two empty 25-litre jugs that had contained the manure. He reportedly told officers his actions were a protest against the town’s first Pride event, which was scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Mr Adams admitted to filling four or five drums of hen litter waste from his farm and pouring it onto the road with the intention of disrupting the parade.
A number of references were handed into court, including “six of his elders” from his local church, who said it was “very much out of character”.
Constable Coyle confirmed to the court that on Saturday, June 28, at approximately 2.45am, police were patrolling in the town centre of Ballymena when they came across the defendant.
He was found wearing a balaclava, carrying two empty 25-litre jugs, which he stated had contained manure.
The defendant admitted he’d been spreading the manure over the surrounding roads in order to disrupt the Ballymena Pride parade, which was set to take place later that same day.
The defendant was searched, and a lock knife was found in his pocket.
He was arrested for criminal damage and possession of a bladed article.
Whilst under caution, the defendant freely admitted that he had committed the act in protest against the upcoming parade later that day.
He admitted to spreading the waste manure in the town and told police he was not the only person involved.
Adams admitted to wearing the balaclava to conceal his identity, and he confirmed the manure was a hen litter waste.
He said he had filled four or five drums of waste from his own farm, and he described it as a prank.
Police opposed bail but said that the defendant does not have any criminal record, that the event has now passed and that a co-accused, who was arrested on Saturday, has been bailed until November.
Solicitor for the accused, Stewart Ballentine, told the court that Adams co-operated fully with police and made admissions.
“He indicated that he was foolish and stupid to get involved in this prank, as he describes it, but it obviously backfired on him,” Mr Ballentine said.
Ms Coyle agreed that the accused showed remorse and described it as a prank.
The accused is a maintenance engineer and works on the family farm and had been wearing work trousers at the time of the incident, which contained the lock knife.
“He’s a man who has never been in trouble in life before,” Mr Ballentine added.
“He is in full-time employment.
“It wasn’t a slurry tanker as such that was driving up the streets of Ballymena. These were some small canisters with hen manure in them.
“As far as the parade on Saturday was concerned, that was not in any way inconvenienced, and all persons who wished to attend were able to do so.”
Photographs of the manure were handed into court.
The court was told that it cost the local authority £788.39 to clean up the mess.
Mr Ballentine added: “His mother and father are concerned about this matter. They’re both in the body of the court.
“I hand in a reference from his employer. He speaks highly of this young man, and also handed in references from six of his elders at his local church, who also say this is very much out of character.
“This man has never been arrested in his life before. He’s had an experience of being detained in custody all over the weekend, and this is totally new to this young man, and hopefully, he will never be back.
“He comes from a very law-abiding stock, a family stock in the North Antrim area, and he’s a hard-working young man, and really should have been at other, more productive things than this prank, which badly went wrong.
“He greatly assisted the police investigation, and one of the other parties has been arrested.
“I wonder what the evidence may or may not be in relation to that matter. But my client was the only man who was actually caught red-handed, so to speak, and he made full admissions right from the outset.
“He was pretty much caught in the headlights of the police vehicle and made full admissions and certainly he has learned, very sadly, lessons from his experiences over the last few days.”
The court heard that the incident was organised over messages and phone calls.
Adams was granted bail under a number of conditions, including that he reside at an address at Lislaban Road in Cloughmills, not to enter Ballymena, not possess a phone capable of internet access, and remain under curfew between 11pm and 5am.
Adams was warned that breaching his bail conditions would not be considered a prank.
A 20-year-old man who was also arrested in connection with the incident has been released on police bail and is due to appear in court in November.
