Northern Ireland

Body builder facing assault charges including ‘punching police woman in the face’

Adrian Murray faces 11 charges allegedly committed on October 19

Body builder
Adrian Murray

A Co Antrim body builder appeared in court on Monday accused of assaulting two women, including punching a police officer in the face.

Standing in the dock of Coleraine Magistrates Court Adrian Arthur Murray confirmed that he understood the 11 charges against him, all alleged to have committed on 19 October this year.

Murray, 41, from Linenhall Street in Ballymena, faces on charge of causing a woman actual bodily harm, three charges of common assault of three different men, three charges of assaulting police officers and single charges of resisting police, driving while unfit and driving without a licence.

The court heard how the alleged incidents started outside a pub on Market Square in Antrim when a woman, believing the defendant had been drunk driving, remonstrated with him.

According to the police case, he pushed her away but she fell and hit her head on the pavement,  causing a “large gash to the back of her head.”

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A police officer said when three men who tried to intervene, Murray allegedly assaulted them as well before he left the scene.

When officers attended at his home, Murray allegedly told them “you won’t be arresting me” and lashed out violently, leaving a female officer with cuts and a black eye after he allegedly punched her in the face.

Murray was however subdued and arrested and taken into custody and the officer told the court police were objecting to bail due to the perceived risk of witness interference and further offences.

Defence counsel Neil Moore highlighted however that as with everything, “there are two side to the story,” revealing that the woman who was shoved had been “in the defendant’s face” at the time and the three men who he is alleged to have assaulted have refused to make statements.

Freeing Murray on his own bail of £500 with a surety of £500 and adjourning the case to 12 November, District Judge Peter King also banned him from Antrim, barred him from contacting complainants or witnesses and added a prohibition on alcohol and drugs.