Coronavirus fear: James Ardagh charged, tried to force people to shake hands, bump elbows
James Ardagh was in Manly Local Court for a drunken tirade that saw him deliberately bumping into strangers and then abusing them when they did not want to bump elbows with him.
Manly
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A man who deliberately bumped into strangers and then assaulted and harassed passers-by for “not shaking hands” on a popular Sydney beachside walk, has appeared in Manly Local Court.
James Ardagh, 43, of Manly, was drunk when he asked people to bump elbows with him on the pathway along West Esplanade in Manly Cove on Tuesday night.
But the unemployed Ardagh became angry when people avoided his invitation.
He then yelled abuse at people for not bumping elbows with him, before trying to block people, including a mother with a small child and a group of joggers, from getting past him on the footpath.
Ardagh also tried to knock the glasses from the face of a 62-year-old man from Fairlight who had intervened and told him to stop harassing people.
He has pleaded guilty to one count each of behaving in an offensive manner in a public place and common assault.
The court was told that Ardagh had been previously banned from pubs in Manly due to his behaviour while intoxicated.
A police facts sheets tendered to court on Wednesday said a drunk Ardagh, carrying a bottle in a brown paper bag, was “stumbling and uneasy on his feet” when he approached people and asked them to bump elbows.
He shouted at the assault victim: “Shakes hands ya f*****g c***”. The victim and his partner refused.
When Ardagh again tried to bump elbows with the victim, he and his partner “feared for their safety”, the facts sheet said.
Ardagh then tried to block the joggers on the footpath before approaching and abusing a woman with a young child.
He then approached another woman, put his hands out and stepped from side to side to stop her progress.
The assault victim told Ardagh.: “Mate, just leave everybody alone, go sit down and stop hassling everybody.”
Ardagh then shaped up to the victim with raised, clenched fists and tried to knock the victim’s glasses off.
When police arrived and began searching him, he shouted abuse at officers with spit coming from his mouth.
Ardagh appeared in court via video link from Manly police station. He did not apply for bail.
Magistrate Michelle Goodwin adjourned the matter for sentence in Manly Local Court on May 20.