District Judge Barney McElholm told a woman at Derry Magistrate’s Court today that while ‘men may be essentially useless you can’t take a knife to them.’
He was speaking in a case involving Nicola McClaren (23) of Tullymnore Road in Derry who admitted possessing a knife in a public place on March 2.
The court was told that police received a report of a female with a knife in Derry City Centre.
When they arrived they found McClaren who was ‘highly stressed’ who told them she had fallen out with her partner who had taken their children.
A small kitchen knife was found nearby and she told police she had taken it to scare her partner.
Defence counsel Mr. Stephen Mooney said his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity even though the knife had not been found in her possession.
He said she had been trying to force her partner to return the children and posed no threat to anyone else.
Judge McElholm then made his comments about men and deferred sentenced until October 31 to see how McClaren behaves.
