Man jailed for stealing Ulster flag from outside woman's house

A man who stole an Ulster flag from outside a woman's home in Belfast has been jailed for four months.

Prosecutors claim the theft carried out by Cormac McGroarty was aggravated by sectarian hostility.

The 20-year-old, of Strand Road in Londonderry, targeted the property on 9 September last year.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard police dealing with a separate incident at an undisclosed area in the city pursued and stopped McGroarty.

An Ulster flag was discovered in his waistband, along with emblems for the Union Jack and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

"Police received a further call from a resident that the Ulster flag at the front of her property had been stolen," a Crown lawyer said.

"CCTV showed the defendant removing it from the flagpole."

A small quantity of cannabis was also found on McGroarty.

Defence barrister Turlough Madden stressed his client had admitted the theft despite a dispute about the alleged hostility in the offence.

"That couldn’t be resolved and the prosecution continued on that basis," he submitted.

Mr Madden argued that McGroarty had shown remorse for taking the flag while intoxicated.

"He’s not a sectarian person but realises the position he has put himself in," counsel added.

District Judge Steven Keown was told McGroarty has suffered traumatic incidents in his past, including being shot by paramilitaries.

Passing sentence, he ordered: "The theft of a flag is an aggravated offence. There will be a total of four months custody."

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