Man sentenced for attack at Apprentice Boys parade

A man who attacked a businessman during the annual Apprentice Boys' parade in Londonderry in 2023 has been sentenced to 200 hours' community service.

The judge at Londonderry Magistrates' Court said he did not believe Ian Knipe, 48, of Wentworth Green in Portadown, should go to jail for the assault.

Knipe admitted one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the Spencer Road area of the Waterside on 12 August 2023.

A previous court was told that the businessman believed Knipe, who was in the march, was going to urinate against his premises.

The businessman sustained injuries to his lip and eyebrow following an altercation.

A defence barrister told the court that the incident involved "pushing and shoving" after the injured party had first shouted at the defendant.

He said his client had displayed "genuine remorse" and was assessed as being of a low likelihood of reoffending.

Deputy District Judge Peter Prenter said the delay in the case was due to a dispute about the nature of the injuries.

He said he did not believe Knipe should receive a prison sentence, either immediate or suspended, but that he would impose a community service order "at the higher end of the scale to reflect the seriousness of the offence".