A 48-year-old man with a criminal record described by the district judge a "luminous" has been found guilty of common assault.

The court heard on June 11, 2018, Thomas Henry McCaffrey of Cornagrade Road, Enniskillen punched the victim on the head.

Police were on Derrin Road, close to the Cornagrade Road speaking to the victim about an unrelated matter. When they had finsihed talking to him they started to walk back towards their police vehicle. The officers saw McCaffrey wallk up to the complainant and punch him on the head. The complainant did not retaliate while McCaffrey stepped away from the victim when he saw the police.

The 48 year old was arrested but did not say anything.

McCaffrey's solicitor told the court that his client was suffering from paranoia and had thought the complainant had been talking about him. His client now accepted that this may not have been the case and that he should not have reacted in this way. He added McCaffrey was thankful there was no injury and was regretful of his behaviour.

The defending solicitor continued saying his client had significant mental health issues and although he had an extensive criminal record, there had been nothing of note since 2013. He added that McCaffrey apologised for being before the courts and said he will not be back.

District Judge Michael Ranahan sentenced McCaffrey to six months probation with the hope that it will address his offending and impulsive behaviour. However he warned McCaffrey that if he did not make use of the services provided and breached his probation order he would be back in front of the courts and it was very likely he would be facing a custodial sentence.

McCaffrey was also ordered to pay compensation to the victim of £200 for the "unprovoked attack".