A NEWTOWNBUTLER man who reversed into a ditch after police tried to stop his car has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Jason McQuillan (26) of Derrygoas Road appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday for sentencing on charges of driving without insurance, failing to stop for police and dangerous driving.
At around 6pm on October 1st, 2018 police on Newtownbutler Main Street saw a Volkswagen Passat driving in the direction of Clones at approximately 40mph. The speed limit for the street is 30mph.
The officers followed the car, which then increased its speed. Based on the speed of the police car the court was told McQuillan was then driving at approximately 55mph. The police car overtook the defendant and signalled for him to pull over. McQuillan’s car began to pull in, then performed an emergency stop, reversed, and ended up wedged in a ditch.
When the police approached his car McQuillian appeared to be trying to get out of it. When interviewed the father-of-two said that he hadn’t seen the police and then panicked when he did see them.
Defence barrister Ciaran Roddy said McQuillan had taken out insurance on his work van which he, wrongly, believed covered him to drive his car. It is his third conviction for no insurance.
Mr Roddy said that, on reflection, McQuillan realised his driving had been silly and stupid. The barrister said the police had only been in pursuit for a short time, no one had been injured, and only minor damage had been caused.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said McQuillan had put both the police and members of the public in danger with his driving. He fined him a total of £425, disqualified him from driving for 14 months, and sentenced him to five months in prison suspended for two years.
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