Man who sparked six hour police stand-off in Ballymena involving 64 officers is jailed

During the stand-off in Ballymena, Ryan Desmond Connolly broke windows at his own address at Crebilly Road in the town, and held a piece of glass to his own throat.

The stand-off lasted from 6.10pm to 12.20am on a night in early January this year.It was not the first time the defendant had been involved in a stand-off with police as there had been another incident in Ballymena in May last year. That case was dealt with at court last summer.

The defendant appeared via video link from custody at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday, and admitted charges of communicating false information to case a false belief that there was a bomb at his address and causing criminal damages to a Housing Executive property at Crebilly Road on January 3 this year.

A prosecutor said police responded to a "concern for safety" at Crebilly Road and the defendant told officers he had an "improvised explosive device and he wanted police to shoot him".

She said during a stand-off the defendant smashed a downstairs window and held a piece of glass to his throat. Eventually police used a taser on him.

The property was searched and police noticed a "metal pipe which appeared to be a pipe bomb and this is what they believed the defendant referred to". He had constructed a hoax device in the house, where he was alone.

There was damage caused throughout the property and a number of windows were broken which cost £1,351 to fix.

He was taken to Antrim Area Hospital as he told police he had drank bleach. He told police he had been drinking on medication which caused him to have "mental episodes".

The defendant admitted sending a photo of the "self-made pipe bomb" to a family member.

The court heard 64 police officers were involved in the operation including Armed Response. A defence barrister said it had been a "very concerning incident".

He said in the two months leading up to the incident the defendant had sought help on eight occasions at hospitals but was in the community at the time of the incident.

District Judge Nigel Broderick told the defendant: "No doubt you were undergoing some form of mental health breakdown but that appears to have exacerbated by taking alcohol.

"No doubt with hindsight it became apparent this was a hoax but that wouldn't have been apparent to the police who have to respond to these incidents with limited information and must take all these seriously for obvious reasons".

The judge said the defendant had 50 previous convictions and jailed him for eight months.