A man is to appeal the prison sentence he was given after being convicted of common assault and disorderly behaviour.

Deputy District Judge John Rea handed down a four-month sentence and also activated a three-month suspended sentence at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday.

Tony Cahill (41), of Castlehill Gardens, Augher, was convicted of the charges concerning an incident at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) on June 3, 2021.

A doctor reported that Cahill, a regular patient at the SWAH, was behaving in a disorderly manner in a ward, had made threats to staff and had clenched his fists and was standing inches from the doctor.

The doctor said this was a regular occurrence, and they could no longer deal with it, so police stepped in and Cahill was arrested.

His barrister, Ciaran Roddy, said there was no getting away from the seriousness of the matter and that it is not lost on the defendant that the courts take a strong stance on offences against hospital staff.

Mr. Roddy pointed out that the assault was a technical one in nature, but Cahill's demeanour had put fear in the doctor trying to deal with the situation.

Cahill is a "chronic alcoholic" Mr. Roddy said. The court further heard that Cahill had lived a "transient" lifestyle but had reached a stage in his life where he has settled down significantly and the pre-sentence report showed a "number of green shoots".

Cahill had gained settled accommodation for the first time in his life, in which he has access to mental health and addiction counsellors, and as a result of this he has cut down the amount of alcohol he consumes.

Mr. Roddy pointed out Probation felt they could make a difference in Cahill's life, and submitted that imposing a probation order would have a positive effect on Cahill's life.

However, Judge Rea described Cahill's actions at the SWAH as a "disgraceful incident" in which he assaulted a doctor at a time when he was providing service to other vulnerable people.

He continued that Cahill did not have a good criminal record, and the offence was committed whilst under a suspended sentence.

Having read the pre-sentence report, Judge Rea did not feel it was in the public interest to allow Cahill to undergo community service or probation.

He sentenced him to seven months in total in prison; however, Cahill is set to appeal this.