Colum Swift (36) of Lisnaskea Road, Rossgad appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday charged with driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, and failing to stop for police. 

On December 25 police observed a Ford Transit van driving at an ‘inappropriate’ speed on the Lisnaskea Road and signalled for the van, which was being driven by Swift to stop. 

Swift failed to stop for the police, instead pulling into a farmhouse, driving around, then stopping and alighting and running off through a field and over a stream into another field. 

Police caught up with Swift and arrested him, taking him to Omagh Police Station, where he made full admissions to police. 

Deputy District Judge Liam McStay said Swift had two previous convictions for driving while disqualified, and had been given two chances. Defence solicitor Bernard Corrigan said on both those occasions Swift had been given a community based penalty. 

Mr Corrigan said Swift had commitments to both his business, which has three employees, and to his young son. Mr Corrigan explained the reason Swift had decided to drive on Christmas Day was because his heating had broken and he needed to get fuel from his parents’ house to heat his home before his son visited later that evening. 

The solicitor added “it goes without saying his record does him no favours.” 

Judge McStay said letters of reference handed into court stating Swift was hard working and a committed father showed there were two sides to him, a loving and caring father on one side, but also “a risk taker”, “a gambler,” and an “offender who will take a chance no matter how high the stakes” on the other side. 

Judge McStay said Swift had been given previous chances by the court, and said if he was to impose an immediate custodial sentence on the defendant he would have “very little chance of success” if he was to appeal it in the county court. 

Citing his business, where he had employees depending on him, and “more importantly”, Swift’s commitments to his son, the judge said he was not going to impose an immediate prison term. He sentenced Swift to a total of four months in prison, suspended for two years, disqualified him from driving for a further two years, and fined him £200. 

Judge McStay pointed out Swift had been coming to the end of his previous driving disqualification when he drove on Christmas Day, and told him “that was another stupid decision you made.”