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Man in court over Ballymena Pride slurry says it was 'a prank'

Bernie Allen
BBC News NI
PA Media Isaac Adams, with fair hair, dressed in a black and orange shirt.PA Media
Isaac Adams, 19, from Lislaban Road, Cloughmills, has been charged with criminal damage, possession of an article with a blade or point and causing material to be deposited on a road

A 19-year-old man has appeared in court after slurry was spread on a number of streets in Ballymena, County Antrim, in the early hours of Saturday morning, ahead of the town's first Pride parade.

Isaac Adams from Lislaban Road, Cloughmills, has been charged with criminal damage, possession of an article with a blade or point and causing material to be deposited on a road.

At Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday, a detective sergeant said officers found Mr Adams in the town centre at about 02:45 BST on Saturday, wearing a balaclava and holding two empty jugs of manure.

They said he admitted distributing the slurry ahead of Ballymena Pride and that he described it as a "prank".

Scott Cuthbertson A black paved street with businesses down the side of it. There are suds on the ground as people clean up the slurry which was spread.Scott Cuthbertson
A clean-up operation took place on Greenvale Street in Ballymena

The court heard that Mr Adams admitted he had committed the act in protest of the Pride march later that day.

Mr Adams told police he was not the only person involved and wore a balaclava to conceal his identity.

He also said the manure was hen waste and that Mr Adams had filled four to five drums from his own farm.

The court was told that Mr Adams did fully co-operate with police at the scene, admitted the "prank" was stupid and showed remorse.

It also heard that Mr Adams works as a maintenance engineer on a family farm and that the lock knife was in his possession because he was still wearing his work trousers.

The court heard the 19-year-old was caught in the headlights of the police van on a routine patrol.

'Drums of hen waste'

Local business owner Slurry spread in a zig-zag pattern down a pedestrian street.Local business owner
The slurry was spotted on the streets of Ballymena, including Greenvale Street on Saturday morning

Mr Adams was granted bail under strict conditions, including a 23:00 to 05:00 curfew and not entering any part of Ballymena that is under the 30mph zone.

He was also told he must not possess a telephone with internet access.

The judge told Mr Adams that breaching his bail conditions must not be considered a prank.

Mr Adams was released on bail of £500 and is due to appear in court again on 24 July.

Another man released

Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man who was arrested after slurry was spread across Ballymena's streets ahead of the Pride parade on Saturday, has been released on bail.

The man was arrested on Sunday as part of the police investigation into the incident.

He was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, aiding and abetting criminal damage and causing material to be deposited on a road.