OFFENDER KNOWN AS 'MAD MICK' BANNED FROM TRIAL AFTER CHAOS AND INDECENCY IN HUDDERSFIELD COURT
A pensioner known locally as 'Mad Mick', Michael Folan, who caused chaos outside The Cherry Tree public house on John William Street, was banned from his own trial after exposing himself.Folan, aged 67, engaged in aggressive and bizarre behaviour, including dragging metal poles into the street and throwing them at passing vehicles.
He also threw chairs and tables, causing disruption and alarm among the public.
Witnesses described him as very erratic and unpredictable, with one noting that he threw chairs at taxis and jumped into the road in front of a bus.
Prosecutor Lydia Pearce detailed his rampage starting around 11.50 am, with Folan swinging barriers, throwing ashtrays and furniture, and shouting abusively, which created fear among bystanders.
Witnesses such as Fiona Louhunane and Philip Harling recounted seeing him throw metal poles, chairs, and jumping into traffic, with Harling noting Folan's abusive language.
Folan was verbally abusive towards court staff, made derogatory comments about female court workers, and pulled down his trousers to expose his genitals inside a courtroom, leading to his exclusion from the court building.
He pleaded not guilty to threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour with an intent to cause fear of immediate violence.
Despite his absence, the trial continued, and the magistrates found him guilty, concluding that his actions had likely put the public in fear of their safety.
They issued a warrant for his arrest and declined to grant bail.
Folan, from Dalton, was a known offender with alcohol and mental health issues, and due to the actions that caused his exclusion, magistrates observed he had made himself unavailable.
Ms Pearce emphasized that his behaviour, including dropping his trousers, led to his exclusion and that he would have caused fear among those present.
The court deemed his threatening actions sufficient for a guilty verdict, and he is now subject to an arrest warrant.
