Cocaine thug who brought hammer to hospital ‘in case he was attacked by Muslims' celebrates freedom
The coked-up arsonist was jailed for arriving to hospital with weapon in case he was 'attacked by Muslims'
An ex-soldier thug who brought a hammer to hospital while off his face on cocaine in case he was 'attacked by Muslims' has been 'nailing' pints to celebrate his release from jail.
Until he was caught 'tooled-up' in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, James Burns had been a lead protester outside business premises connected to Jonny Smyth – the man currently in jail in Spain waiting to see if he will face charges in connection with the murder of Belfast man John George.
Nicknamed 'Flames' because of his criminal history as an arsonist, Burns (33) is back on the streets after he was released from jail last week and wasted no time 'hammering' the drinks into him.
He posted a series of TikTok videos and social media photos of him downing pints of beer and shots in Donegal with the words 'few days away with the wife' alongside.
The former amateur boxer – with a lengthy history of violence and more than 110 convictions – also posted a video of himself bare-chested having a play street 'fight' with a pal as bemused neighbours walked by.
Though that was just a bit of messing about, messing about is not something the police are able to do when they are called to arrest him because we can reveal that Burns is flagged as being high risk by the authorities because of his propensity to use violence.
Previously Burns has assaulted multiple cops who've had to go and arrest him – headbutting one.
James Burns in the Donegal bar
And once when he was arrested he threatened to cut off the head of his partner and leave it on her parents' doorstep if she revoked his bail address.
With his former army training, the fact he was a boxer and also because he's partial to drink and drugs which previous courts have said make him even more volatile, cops have to send back-up if they want to lift him.
Burns, who lives in Melrose Street in Belfast but previously with an address in Mallusk, Co Antrim, appeared in court at the end of February after he walked into the RVH with a hammer and a bag containing both Class A and Class C drugs.
During police interview, he told officers the hammer was used for work he was doing to a new house and he carried it with him for 'fear of being attacked by Muslims'.
What hasn't been reported is that he subsequently pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon and was sentenced on March 21 to four months in jail for the hammer and one month for the cocaine and prescription drugs.
That meant he was released just last week and those who know him are waiting to see if he can stay out of trouble.
'James Burns is a ticking time bomb,' said one man who's known Burns for years. 'He can't stay out of trouble for very long – even when he tries really hard. He even went off all the booze and drugs, found God and got into the boxing but it didn't last long.
'The cops are terrified of him because he always kicks off and he's a total nightmare to handle. He's been like that for the last 15 years since he got back from Afghanistan.
'James seemingly can't be rehabilitated and it's only a matter of time before he does something violent again.'
James Burns
Burns has been in and out of prison for serious offending including arson, rioting and a series of domestic abuse convictions.
He has told courts before how he served with the Commandos in Afghanistan and was 'significantly traumatised by the events he witnessed there'.
His family have spoken out that he needed help after he returned from the war a changed person.
In the last year he has posted publicly about his struggles with mental health, drink and drugs but said he had turned his life around after finding God and starting training in an east Belfast boxing gym – even winning a couple of semi-pro fights.
In December he was rallying support for Belfast man John George, who was murdered in Spain.
Burns promoted controversial protests outside business premises in north Belfast which had been targeted by supporters of the campaign to find Mr George, whose body at that stage had not been found.
James Burns was involved in protests against Jonny Smyth
Two years ago Burns was convicted of breaching a restraining order taken out by his ex-partner after he called her on the phone.
In January 2023, a police officer told Ballymena Magistrates Court: 'The victim has been deemed at high risk from the defendant and he has been flagged as a serial perpetrator of domestic violence.'
The restraining order was imposed after Burns set fire to two cars owned by his ex and her mother.
He phoned his former partner in February 2021 threatening her if she got him sent back to prison, warning he would 'burn her out'.
Later that night she looked out and saw Burns approach her Seat Ibiza.
James Burns
'He paused at the rear wheel, threw something using both hands and the vehicle immediately ignited,' a Crown lawyer said, adding that firefighters went to the scene but the car was gutted.
Minutes later he arrived at the home of the ex-partner's mother in Greenisland and set fire to her Hyundai i10.
Burns admitted arson, threats to damage property, breaching a non-molestation order and criminal damage to an electronic tag.
In 2015 Burns was jailed for St Patrick's Day attacks on police and smashing his mother's car.
The thug head-butted one of five officers it took to restrain him after they were called to his family home in Newtownabbey.
He was sentenced to four months in prison after admitting charges of criminal damage, two counts of assault on police, and resisting arrest.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard a neighbour phoned 999 claiming Burns was 'going mental', smashing windows on the Jeep Cherokee and fighting with relatives in the street.
A prosecutor said officers who went to his address requested back-up because of the defendant's reputation for aggression towards police.
The court heard Burns was initially calm at the scene but then stated: 'I'm going to kill each and every one of you.'
As police tried to handcuff him he started struggling and then head-butted one officer in the face.
According to the prosecution lawyer, Burns spat at another officer and kicked him on the leg.
'It took five police officers to restrain him as he was kicking out and struggling on the ground,' he added.
And in 2012 Burns damaged nine vans and a lorry at a dealership after rowing with his girlfriend.
The then 20-year-old, who joined the army straight out of school, was ordered to serve 200 hours' community service after he caused an estimated £2,700 worth of damage in the attack.
He pleaded guilty to smashing windows, breaking wing mirrors and denting panels on vehicles at the Mercedes-Benz depot in Mallusk.
In 2017 Burns was part of a loyalist mob that rioted in north Belfast after an Orange Order march was banned from passing Ardoyne shops.
He claimed to police he had psychotic breakdown and felt he was fighting the Taliban during the riot but a judge jailed him for three years.
He was spotted sometimes wearing a balaclava and sometimes not – chucking bricks and bottles at police lines and at one stage torched a bin.
He shouted at the judge the sentence was a ''f***ing disgrace' and said 'give that 18 months to Tony Blair'.
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