He had spent the night at his parents before the incident in the morning
21:58, 29 Jun 2026
Stock image of Laganside court building in Belfast (Image: Belfast Live )
A man was sentenced to five months in prison after stealing from his mother and assaulting her and his terminally ill father after they had allowed him to spend the night.
Jamie McCracken, of Downview Manor, Belfast, was jailed for five months after appearing in Belfast Magistrates’ Court from custody for theft and common assault offences following an incident at his parent’s house on Saturday, June 27.
The court heard that McCracken had a history of substance abuse issues and had been homeless when he asked if he could spend the night at his parents’ house.
In the morning, McCracken was going to leave the property when his mother noticed something strange about her purse and found that around £120 had been taken. She then confronted her son about the money and he pushed her causing her to fall backwards.
His father, who was described as terminally ill and weighing 50kg, then attempted to grab McCracken to stop him leaving and McCracken also pushed him, injuring his rib area.
The court heard that McCracken, who pleaded guilty to the three charges he faced, was embarrassed of his behaviour and apologised to his parents for what he had done.
McCracken acknowledged that his parents had been supportive of him through his substance abuse issues with the judge saying this was “no way to treat parents trying to offer assistance”.
He was sentenced to serve five months in prison for the theft and four months for each assault charge, with these running concurrently.
A number of suspended sentences were also activated which would run concurrently with the others.
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