Coleraine public praised after man's town centre machete 'rampage'

A judge praised the “extreme bravery” of members of the public who tackled and disarmed a masked man who was brandishing a two-foot machete in the street. Refusing to grant bail to Corrie Gordon, District Judge Nigel Broderick said he was concerned about the risk of further offences but in remanding the 23-year-old into custody, he told the court that in detaining him at the scene, “members of the public, I have to say, exhibited extreme bravery in confronting the defendant who was armed with a dangerous weapon".

Appearing at Ballymena Magistrates' Court by videolink from police custody Gordon, from Cappagh Avenue in Portstewart, confirmed that he understood the seven charges against him arising from an incident on 14 June this year. The 23-year-old faces three counts of common assault and single charges of making a threat to kill, possessing a bladed article on the Bushmills Road in Coleraine, possessing class A cocaine and possessing class C pregabalin. Objecting to Gordon being granted bail, a police constable outlined how the genesis of the case was in a social media disagreement between Gordon and an alleged victim who works at the Egyptian Barber shop in Coleraine. According to the police case, Gordon turned up at the barber’s shop dressed all in black, wearing a black balaclava, carrying a black backpack and brandishing a 2’ machete and he chased the victim into a back room, putting two others in fear of assault. “Following this the defendant rampaged around public streets, the railway station and close to Millburn Primary School, swinging the machete and shouting that he has a gun,” said the officer. She told the court that members of the public intervened, disarmed Gordon and held him until police arrived, adding that officers recovered the drugs from his backpack. The officer revealed how “a group of primary school children on their ay to a swimming lesson missed seeing the incident by a couple of minutes” but that the incident has been “widely viewed by the public first hand and on social media.” Arrested and interviewed, Gordon “made no admissions and showed no remorse,” claiming instead that he had gone for a haircut when a masked male “came at him with a big knife and he took it off him, and the balaclava, and ran away wearing it.” Objecting to bail the officer said there were concerns about “public confidence and public safety,” further revealing that Gordon is “under investigation” for having a flick knife two weeks ago. “He has shown a callous disregard for public safety by brandishing a machete in public spaces,” said the constable, suggesting that Gordon would not abide by conditions if freed. Gordon’s defence counsel accepted there was a “strong Prima facie case” but highlighted that he still “enjoyed the presumption of innocence,” arguing that with a bail address with his mother in Portstewart that “robust bail conditions” could be imposed to address police concerns. Gordon was remanded into custody and the case adjourned to 10 July.

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