A SENTENCED prisoner will serve an extra month in jail after he admitted shouting abuse at a police officer in front of the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) last November.

Darren Armstrong (26), of Old Rossorry Road, Enniskillen, was charged with using disorderly behaviour in a public place, namely at the SWAH, on November 16, 2015.

Armstrong, a serving prisoner who had been due for release on May 8 this year, entered a guilty plea when he appeared before Fermanagh Magistrates Court, via videolink from Magilligan.

The court heard that, at 11pm on November 16, the defendant was standing with another male outside the front door of the South West Acute Hospital. He had refused medical attention and was in the process of leaving when he was approached by the police.

Becoming aggressive, Armstrong shouted “f**k off” in the face of one of the officers. Despite warnings to calm down, the defendant continued to shout abuse at the PSNI.

He then told the officer: “Don’t talk to me like I’m a w**ker.” After he was arrested at the front door of the hospital, the defendant was taken to a police vehicle and calmed down “considerably”.

At this point, Armstrong apologised to the officer he had abused. “I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you,” he said.

Defending counsel, Heather Phillips, told the court that her client had arrived at the hospital by ambulance after being involved in a “significant” road traffic collision.

She said that that the incident with the police had occurred outside the front door of the hospital and away from the waiting area, meaning members of the public had not been disturbed to the maximum.

While conceding that his behaviour had been “unsavoury”, the barrister said that it had not been accompanied by any sectarian or racist remarks or violence, and an immediate apology had been offered.

District judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that the defendant had a “poor record” for using disorderly behaviour.

The judge said the offence on this occasion had been aggravated by occurring in the context of a hospital setting.

Taking into account that Armstrong had calmed down subsequently, Mr Broderick imposed a one-month jail term to be served consecutively with his current sentence.