Drunk man hurled 'tirade of abuse' at police outside city centre McDonald's

The officers decided they had no choice but to arrest Garrity when he refused to stop shouting insults
-Credit: (Image: Tom Mack/Leicester Mercury)


A drunk man hurled abuse at people outside a Leicester city centre branch of McDonald's. Lee Garrity was approached by officers from Leicestershire Police following the incident and was arrested after verbally abusing them.

Garrity, of no fixed address, was making the commnets in the early hours of Saturday, October 12. It was around 2am when police approached him before further abuse led to him being apprehended.

At Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (October 30), prosecutor Sally Bedford relayed the sequence of events. She said: "At about 2am it seems the defendant was in the city centre and police received a report that the defendant was pestering people in Eastgates. Officers attended and saw he was in the company of a female and he presented as being extremely drunk."

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Ms Bedford said that Garrity started swearing at the officers and told the magistrates some of the swear words and insults he had been using.

"The city centre was quite busy at that time. He came out with a tirade of abuse and he wouldn't stop shouting and swearing," she said. "Members of the public were taking evasive action to get away from the defendant. He wouldn't listen to the police so he was arrested."

Garrity, representing himself in court, told the magistrates he had no memory of the incident. He said: "I can't remember. But I've been out of trouble a long time now - years."

Garrity, who pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly, said he was currently on sickness benefits and receiving Universal Credit. The magistrates gave him a conditional discharge for a period of six months.

Rosemary Monk, chair of the bench, said: "It wasn't pleasant listening to that. We don't want to see you back in court. If you come back to court for anything in the next six months, this will be revisited."

Garrity was also ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge but the magistrates waived the usual court costs of £85 because of Garrity's means.