A youth ordered to appear in court on a charge of assaulting a paramedic failed to turn up because he "doesn’t want to get out of bed".
The defendant, who cannot be identified due to his age, is accused of committing the offence on November 27 last year.
Legislation was amended in Northern Ireland in 2016 making assaults on ambulance crews a stand-alone offence, and the youth was one of the first to be prosecuted under the new law.
He failed to attend at Dungannon Youth Court on two previous occasions over the summer and a warning was issued that the next opportunity would be the last.
However, when the case was called today a defence lawyer said her client was not present.
District Judge John Meehan asked if there was any explanation for this “third affront to the court”.
The lawyer replied: “He doesn’t want to get out of bed.”
Judge Meehan issued a bench warrant.
