Eamonn Magee - Troubled Background

Troubled Background

Magee grew up in the nationalist Ardoyne area of Belfast and was in and out of trouble as a youth. Magee came from a boxing obsessed family, at the age of twelve, Magee's mother enrolled a him in the local boxing club. Magee stated that for his mother "boxing was as important as school". Magee's three older brothers were also boxers with two of them, Terry and Noel, having careers as professional boxers. His brother Noel was also a Commonwealth title champion.

In 1989, Magee was involved in a fight outside a restaurant and sustained a deep wound to his neck from which he almost died. In 1992, he was shot in the leg by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in a punishment attack. In 1994, Magee (who is a supporter of Celtic football club) was charged with affray after getting into a barroom brawl with a group of Rangers fans in a Belfast City Centre pub. In February 2004, Magee was attacked in the Blacks Road area of Belfast. He was pulled from his car and beaten with a baseball bat, he had his leg broken and knee fractured.

In February 2010 he was sentenced to six months imprisonment for assault after head-butting a man in north Belfast.

In June 2010 Magee was jailed for 12 months for an assault on his ex-partner. He was given the maximum sentence for the offence, but was released on bail pending an appeal.

In December 2010 Magee, who is facing charges of breaching a non-molestation order and harassing his ex-partner Maria Magill was arrested and brought back into custody after failing to sign with police on December 28. During the court hearing it was reported that Magee is sometimes forced to “lock himself away from the world” due to mental health problems, depression and anxiety which he has suffered from for a long time. The judge, Mr Justice Weatherup, ruled that Magee could be released again on bail after pointing out that no known attempt had been made to contact Ms Magill.