Man in court over police shooting

22 July 2011 Last updated at 12:41 GMT The officer was shot in the arm while chasing suspects in south Croydon A man charged in connection with the suspected attempted murder of an unarmed police officer in London has no direct link to the shooting, a court in Belfast has been told.

Jason Anpomah, 20, was arrested in Belfast along with a 26-year-old man as part of the inquiry into the gun attack last Friday.

The policeman was shot in the arm as he chased three men in south Croydon.

Mr Anpomah denies assisting offenders and withholding information.

The receptionist, with an address at Dunluce Avenue, Belfast, was arrested on the Lisburn Road in south Belfast on Wednesday night.

A house was searched and a number of items were removed for examination.

The 26-year-old suspect was taken back to London for questioning about the alleged attempted murder.

Operation Trident

Mr Anpomah's lawyer, Dennis Boyd, told Belfast Magistrates Court on Friday that his client denied the allegations against him.

Mr Boyd told the court the charges were linked to a wider inquiry being run by Operation Trident, the Metropolitan Police Service unit set up to investigate gun crime among London's black community.

He added: "There is no suggestion that this man is linked to that attempted murder."

Mr Anpomah did not apply for bail.

He was remanded in custody for a week, to appear again via video-link.

Another two men, aged 21 and 22, have already been charged in connection with the incident.

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Tourette's man criticises police

13 July 2011 Last updated at 11:33 GMT A doctor told the court that Mr McLoone was the only one of his 11,000 patients who had suffered Tourette's A man with Tourette's Syndrome has criticised police for not properly understanding the condition after public order charges against him were dismissed by a Londonderry court.

Eugene Martin McLoone, 54, from Abercorn Road, Derry, contested charges of disorderly behaviour, assaulting a policeman and resisting arrest.

He walked free from court on Monday after a doctor explained that his behaviour was related to his condition.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he said.

A policeman told the court that he had approached Mr McLoone at Strand Road on 11 January.

He said at one point Mr McLoone threw his crutches down, lay on the ground and screamed that he had been attacked.

The officer arrested him.

Swearing

A doctor told the court that Mr McLoone was the only one of his 11,000 patients who suffered Tourette's.

"He falls into the 10% of Tourette's Syndrome sufferers who has coprolalia or dirty tongue. When he would arrive at my surgery for an appointment I knew he'd arrived because I would hear him swearing in the waiting room," he said.

"Tourette's sufferers are also prone to rages brought on by increased stress. Part of the rage could be throwing themselves onto the ground."

Mr McLoone said the case had caused his family great distress.

"My wife was really upset and my children just shook their heads and thought 'what next?'. If you have it you cannot get rid of it and if somebody doesn't like it then they will ridicule it and mock you.

"People who hold certain positions like police officers or some of the clergy, they need to reflect how they address it.

"I can't get worse but it is there," he added.

A police spokeswoman said: "We are committed to treating everyone fairly and with respect."

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Two charged with police attacks

13 July 2011 Last updated at 12:19 GMT A man and a teenage boy have appeared in court charged with attacking police in Limavady on Tuesday.

Craig McDonald, 22, of Shackleton Crescent in Ballykelly admitted three charges of assaulting police officers, one of resisting an officer and one of obstructing police.

He is to be sentenced on 24 August.

A 17-year-old boy was remanded in custody accused of throwing stones at members of a police mobile patrol.

A police officer told a district judge at Londonderry Magistrates Court that the teenager was one of a group of stone-throwers who attacked police officers at Ballyquinn Road at about 1700 BST.

His description was circulated and he was arrested 40 minutes later.

The officer said at the time of his arrest the youth was already on court bail for five alleged assaults. Bail was refused and the youth was remanded in custody until 19 July.

In the other case, the court was told that McDonald committed the offences at the Roe Middle Road during the Twelfth parade.

A police officer said that after McDonald was arrested for making gestures towards the police, he kicked three officers in the chest.

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