Two in court over trouble at Ballyclare protest

TWO Ballyclare men, including a 17-year-old schoolboy Appeared in court on Saturday accused of disorderly behaviour following a flag protest in the town.

At Belfast Magistrates’ Court, a PSNI constable said he believed he could connect both 48-year-old Thomas Charnley and the teenager, who cannot be identified because of his age, to the charges.

Charnley, from Thornhill Drive faces a single count of disorderly behaviour, while the schoolboy is accused of disorderly behaviour, assaulting and resisting police, obstructing a road and possessing class B cannabis on Friday, January 18.

Disorder broke out in the Main Street area of Ballyclare following a flag protest.

The offences relate to disturbances in The Square at Ballyclare where snowballs were thrown at police officers and objecting to a bail application for Charnley, Constable Mullan described how despite numerous warnings, he tried to force his way through police lines and cursed at officers.

District Judge Ken Nixon released the pair on bail to appear again next Friday.

He ordered them to observe a curfew, report to police three times per week and to stay at least 500 metres away from any protest or demonstration.