A teenager, who was chased by police in the early hours while travelling at excessive speed with a car full of passengers, was warned this week that the manner of his driving could have had fatal consequences.  

Alaister Keys (18) of Aghintain Road in Fivemiletown was charged with driving without due care and attention on September 27th at Belfast Road in Enniskillen. 

At Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday, the prosecution outlined that the police were on patrol at 2.51am on the A4 Belfast Road at Maguiresbridge when a black Volkswagen Golf passed by them at speed. Officers noted that the vehicle had a twin exhaust in the middle of the rear and began to follow the vehicle which was travelling at speeds of up to 100mph. 

Police attempted to gain some ground on the car in order to activate the blue lights but due to the speed it was travelling at, they were forced to pull back. 

As they travelled towards Brookeborough, the closest officers got to the vehicle was 150m and they noted that it tapped the brakes but accelerated around a corner. 

Police lost sight of the vehicle for five to ten seconds and when they saw it again, it was travelling at a normal speed. They observed R-plates on the car and managed to stop it and speak to Keys, who was driving with four passengers in the car. 

As Keys was only 17 at the time, police told him they would have to speak to his parents but as they returned to his house, he stopped them and asked them not to because “it wouldn’t go down well”. The court heard that when later interviewed by police about the incident, Keys refused to answer their questions.

After hearing the evidence, District Judge Nigel Broderick remarked: “How many times do we turn on the television or open a newspaper to hear about a fatality involving a young driver and multiple occupants in the early hours of the morning. “

Defence barrister Stephen Fitzpatrick said Keys, who was present in court with his father, accepted that he was “well in excess of the restricted speed limit. This was young and foolish driving with friends and because of the distance between him and the police, he didn’t notice them.”

He added: “He has a clear record and comes from a very respectable family. He is here in court with his father who doesn’t condone his actions and but by the grace of God there were no injuries sustained. He takes this charge seriously and it will be a salutary lesson for him. He accepts that the speed involved was careless.”      

The judge said: “While they can’t put an old head on young shoulders, I’m sure his parents didn’t rest easy until he returned home safely. He didn’t do himself any favours by not answering simple police questions.”

Given Keys’ youth and clear record, Judge Broderick said that if he had given police greater co-operation at the scene and when questioned, he would have faced a more lenient sentence. 

Keys was fined £200 and disqualified from driving for ten weeks. 

“Hopefully this is a lesson well learned and watch your speed in future please,” the judge added.