PSNI had to halt pursuit of man (20) driving dangerously at speeds up to 70mph through Co Down village, Craigavon court hears

Stuart Wiltshire, aged 20, from Fairview Park, Dromore, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with dangerous driving, having no insurance, no driving licence and two counts of having a defective tyre.

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Wiltshire had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.

The court heard that on July 23 this year at around 5.30pm police were on mobile patrol in the Waringstown area and spotted a Volkswagen Golf on the main street.

Checks showed it had no active insurance policy and the registered keeper had no driving licence. Blue lights and sirens were activated but the vehicle “took off at speed”.

"During this short pursuit the vehicle appeared to be driving at excess speed. Police observed it overtake a vehicle on the wrong side of the road and collide with speed calming measures with such force that the Volkswagen Golf sustained heavy damage,” said the Prosecutor.

"The vehicle failed to stop. Police called at the home address of the defendant where he was arrested,” she said.

Wiltshire’s barrister Mr Damien Halleron accepted his client has a relevant criminal record. “It’s accepted this is atrocious driving,” he said, adding his client said he “simply panicked”.

"He’s aware he didn’t have insurance. He should have stopped when he stopped but he didn’t. Mercifully there wasn’t any serious injury caused,” said Mr Halleron, adding that Wiltshire has been ruled out of Community Service due to his underlying medical condition.

The barrister requested the District Judge not send his client to prison. He also urged the District Judge to consider Wiltshire’s family when it comes to banning the defendant from driving.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “This is high end dangerous driving. Police had to pursue you Mr Wiltshire and due to the nature of your driving and the danger you placed pedestrians in, they had to call off that pursuit.

"In addition you were also endangering those police officers who were chasing you with your speed up to 70mph in a 30mph zone,” he added.

“The custody threshold is more than passed so it is entirely up to the court to send you to prison today,” said the District Judge, adding that he would take into account Wiltshire’s age and deal with him via a suspended sentence.

He was sentenced to five months in prison suspended for 18 months for the charge of dangerous driving.

"I repeat this is the high end of dangerous driving and your disqualification for this is two years,” said the District Judge, adding the defendant would be subjected to the extended test at the end of that two-year driving ban.

For having no insurance, no driving licence and the tyre offences, the defendant was given a driving ban of 12 months on each of the four charges.

"That is a total for today’s purposes, Mr Wiltshire, of two years of disqualification but more importantly you now have a sentence of imprisonment of five months hanging over your head for the next 18 months,” said the District Judge.