Blood found on steering wheel, gear stick and console after Saab car was stolen in Lurgan, Craigavon court hears

Fredrick Rules, aged 45, from Grattan Street, Lurgan, faces a number of charges including possession of a Class C controlled drug, namely pregabalin, no insurance and no driving licence on June 22 last year.

-

-

Appearing at court via video link from Maghaberry Prison, Rules is also accused of the theft of cash and bank statements, criminal damage of a Saab car, aggravated taking and causing damage to the vehicle on June 4 last year.

His barrister, Mr Patrick Taylor, said Rules previously pleaded guilty. He revealed the defendant was offered a pre-sentence report but failed to attend.

"It now looks as if he is going to be in custody for a considerable period of time so he is waiving his entitlement to request a further PSR,” said the lawyer.

The court heard that on June 22 last year at around 8.05pm, police were on mobile patrol at Millennium Way, Lurgan when they spotted a black Honda Civic ‘cutting a corner and speeding off towards Kitchen Hill’.

Police stopped the vehicle. Rules ‘attempted to evade police in a nearby shop’. The defendant didn’t have a driving licence nor insurance.

In relation to the separate charges, the court heard that on June 4 last year, police received a report from the injured party that at around 6.45am he noticed his Saab car parked in a different position from the night before. Damage was caused to the ignition valued at £250 plus loose change and bank statements were stolen from the centre console. There was blood on the steering wheel, gear stick and front console which tests showed matched the defendant.

Rule’s barrister said his client had insisted this was a case of "mistaken identity”.

“He was found crouching down behind a car when police apprehended him,” said Mr Taylor, adding Rules was found with a “small amount of drugs”.

The barrister noted the defendant’s “horrific record”, particularly for driving offences, sharing that Rules has a number of recent cases that are to be dealt with in the crown court.

Mr Taylor pointed to Rules’ issues with addition and his mental health problems. He said there is a pattern in that “he attempts to abstain from drugs and alcohol, he falls off the wagon and returns to his disruptive behaviour”. The barrister said Rules had an “unsettled home life”.

He added that in the second set of charges there were “no eye witnesses linking him” to the offences and he was going to contest these charges but there was a forensic link which put him at the scene and he “wisely took the choice of pleading guilty”.

District Judge Natasha Fitzsimmons jailed Rules for two months for possession of pregabalin, for no insurance he was sentenced to five months in custody. For no driving licence she fined him £100 with a default period of seven days – all concurrent. He was also given an 18-month driving ban.

On the second set of charges he was jailed for six months for theft, five months for criminal damage and for aggravated vehicle taking he was given six months plus an 18-month driving ban – all concurrent. He was also ordered to pay a £25 offender levy.