Dungannon mechanic accused of ramming PSNI vehicle and driving over a GAA pitch is refused bail
A man accused of ramming a police vehicle during a 20-minute pursuit around roads in the Coalisland and Dungannon areas on Thursday was refused bail when he appeared at Dungannon Magistrates Court the following day.
Mechanic Gerard Thaddeus McLernon, aged 36, from Bramley Meadows, Dungannon, faces a number of charges including dangerous driving, driving while unfit through drink or drugs, and failing to stop.
A police officer said that he could connect McLernon to the charges.
He said that on October 2, police were on patrol at Moor Road, Coalisland. As they pulled over a car to check insurance it almost immediately made off at speeds reaching 70 mph around roads in the Coalisland and Dungannon areas.
The officer alleged that during the pursuit the accused reversed, ramming the police vehicle, and then rammed it head on before driving off and entering the grounds of a local GAA club and driving across the pitch.
The officer said McLernon then got out of the vehicle and ran off before being arrested and subsequently charged.
He claimed that there had been “a number of near misses”, including with a tractor, during the pursuit.
The officer said police believe McLernon’s partner who had a seven-month-old child in the back of her car, acted in concert to block police in their efforts to stop him.
He added that police were opposed to granting him bail.
A defence solicitor said McLernon had made admissions and could offer no explanation for his actions.
Remanding him into custody until October 29, District Judge Francis Rafferty remarked it was “an appalling catalogue of driving” and the accused is a risk to the public.