A 28-year old man who admitted breaking into a Belfast city centre pub and stealing bottles of alcohol has been jailed for a year.
Pearse Maskey, whose address was given as Maghaberry, appeared at Belfast Crown Court via a videolink with the prison.
He was handed a two-year sentence by Judge Donna McColgan QC which was split equally between prison and licence.
Police were called to the Deer's Head pub on Belfast's Lower Garfield Street in the early hours of August 25, 2021 following reports an alarm has been activated.
When officers arrived, the bar manager was also on the scene and he told police he had watched CCTV footage of a man breaking into the pub, stealing alcohol and trying to open the till with a sock over his hand.
Maskey was then seen outside the bar with bottles of vodka, whiskey and blackberry liquor at his feet.
He tried to flee and became involved in a tussle with police.
When he was searched, a blood-soaked sock was found in his jacket pocket, and Maskey was also connected to the scene via his blood which was found on a broken window he had smashed to gain access to the pub.
Whilst Maskey initially denied involvement at the scene, he later admitted charges of burglary and of both assaulting and resisting police.
As she imposed the two-year sentence, Judge Donna McColgan said the offences were aggravated by Maskey's poor criminal record.
