Man appears in court charged in connection with spreading of slurry in Ballymena ahead of Pride parade

A 19-year-old man has appeared in court charged with spreading hen manure on public roads in Ballymena in the early hours of Saturday morning, in what police are treating as a hate crime against the town’s inaugural Pride parade.

Isaac Adams, of Lislaban Road near Cloughmills, appeared at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Monday, facing multiple charges including causing manure to be deposited on a road “in such a position as to cause or be likely to cause an obstruction or danger”, criminal damage to Granville Drive in Ballymena, and possession of a lock knife without lawful authority.

The court heard that Adams was arrested around 2.55am on Saturday, 28 June, after officers on patrol observed slurry on the road in the Granville Drive area.

A police officer told the court that Adams was seen wearing a balaclava and carrying two empty 25-litre jugs, which he admitted had contained manure.

Adams told police he had been spreading the manure as an act of “protest” against the Ballymena Pride Parade, and admitted his intent was to disrupt the event. He said the substance was hen litter waste from his own farm and described the act as a “prank”. The defendant claimed he was not acting alone.

Police have confirmed that the incident is being treated as a hate crime.

During the hearing, the defence solicitor described Adams’ actions as “foolish and stupid” and noted that the 19-year-old had fully co-operated with police. It was stressed that Adams had no prior criminal record, worked as an engineer on his family farm, and the lock knife found in his possession had been in his work trousers, which he had been wearing at the time.

The solicitor told the court:

“There was no slurry tanker involved but small canisters with hen manure.”

“The incident was very much out of character. He comes from law-abiding stock.”

The defence also presented six references from local church elders and a statement from his employer, describing the incident as a prank that had “gone badly wrong”. Adams’ parents were present in the public gallery.

The court heard that the clean-up operation cost £788, with multiple roads across Ballymena affected by the slurry. Though Adams admitted involvement in the Broughshane Street area, other roads including Greenvale Street, where the Pride parade concluded, were also targeted.

District Judge Peter King granted Adams bail of £500, noting his lack of prior convictions and that another suspect in the case had already been released on bail. Conditions of Adams’ bail include a prohibition from entering Ballymena except for court-related matters, a curfew between 11pm and 5am, and a ban on using a mobile phone with internet access.

The case has been adjourned to Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on 24 July.

A 20-year-old man arrested in connection with the same incident has been released on bail until late November, police confirmed.

Despite the attempted disruption, hundreds marched through Ballymena town centre on Saturday afternoon in the town’s first ever Pride parade, which concluded at Greenvale Street after the area had been cleaned with power hoses. A counter-protest also took place at the Harmony Hub, with a visible police presence ensuring public safety.

For more news from Northern Ireland Courts, visit Court News NI.