A DRUNK wedding guest put his partner “in fear” by telling her that he was going to have her shot, Fermanagh Magistrates Court has heard.

Sean McCartney (40), of Garnet Close, Castlederg, had denied unlawfully assaulting the woman on October 30 last year, but changed his plea to guilty on the day he was due to contest the charge.

At his sentencing on Monday, the court heard that, at 12.10am on October 30, police were tasked to the Manor House Hotel, Killadeas, after receiving a report from the injured party. They found her in an “emotional” state in her room.

She told officers that she had been attending a wedding with her partner of three years, but that he had become “drunk and abusive” during the evening. The defendant had started shouting at her after she refused to leave the wedding and go back to their room.

She alleged that, during the incident, McCartney had continued to shout at her in an aggressive manner and had threatened her while holding a phone charger. Prior to this, he had been looking for his phone, but she had retrieved it from their table.

The injured party subsequently left the function room and asked a bouncer to accompany her to the room as she went to pack up her belongings. The defendant followed her and, when she was in the room, she could hear him arguing with the bouncer outside.

The defendant asked her to let him in, and when she refused, he replied: “10 seconds, five seconds, I’ll have you and your friend shot.” She was “put in fear” by this message, the court heard.

During police interview, the defendant told officers that he had been drinking from midday and had no recollection of the incident. He was bailed until a later date and ordered to have no contact with the injured party. However, he breached this by texting her on several occasions and also banging on the door of her property on November 2.

Defending solicitor, Canice MacManus, told the court that his client was an industrious and hard-working individual, but admitted that alcohol had become a “crutch” for him.

The solicitor said that the injured party had been in a vulnerable position in previous relationships and that McCartney “didn’t improve things”.

In mitigation, Mr MacManus said that the defendant had already spent nine-and-a-half weeks in custody on remand in relation to the matter. He added that McCartney was remorseful, sorry and wanted to apologise to his victim.

Deputy district judge, Terence Dunlop, imposed a 12-month probation order on the defendant, with the added requirement to actively participate in a programme of work to address how he handled alcohol.

The judge also granted a 12-month restraining order, preventing McCartney from having any contact with the injured party.