Hijacker jailed for 18 months after young driver threatened with knife in three-hour ordeal

A 19-YEAR-OLD who was part of a three-man gang who subjected a driver to an “appalling experience” that lasted over three hours has been handed an 18-month sentence.

Stephen Allen, whose address was given as Hydebank, was one of three men behind a hijacking in the Divis Street area of Belfast.

During the ordeal, the driver of a Volkswagen Golf was forced to drive around the Falls area with three strangers in his car before he was assaulted and threatened with a knife.

Belfast Crown Court heard that as a result of his ordeal last summer, the driver was left “very traumatised”.

Crown counsel Philip Henry said that on the evening of July 31 last year, the Golf ’s driver — a young mechanic who was very proud of his car — had travelled to Belfast to meet up with friends.

However, after getting lost he ended up in the Falls/Dunville Street area and, as he was trying to find his way, three young males — one of whom was Allen — approached and asked for a lift.

Mr Henry said this happened at around 10.30pm, and at this point the driver “thought he would humour them” by taking them where they wanted to go.

The driver was made to go to Divis Mountain car park, where one of the gang briefly got out of the car to get something from the bushes.

Telling the court it was the Crown’s case that Allen was a back seat passenger throughout, Mr Henry said during the following hours, the driver was threatened at knifepoint and assaulted by the front-seat passenger.

The young mechanic was forced to make several stops, including at a house where CDs were collected, and that drugs were also taken in his car.

After a further struggle over his keys with the front seat passenger, the driver “relinquished control of driving the vehicle and handed over the keys to the man who was threatening and assaulting him.

His car was then driven dangerously, at high speeds and in a very reckless manner.”

During the incident, reference was also made to ‘Divis Hoods.’

In the early hours of the following morning, the driver’s ordeal ended.

After burning out the clutch of the Golf performing ‘doughnuts’, Allen and the two other men left the vehicle.

The victim was able to flag down police, who described the young man as “very traumatised.”

Mr Henry said Allen was later linked to the vehicle via DNA. He was interviewed on two occasions, and gave ‘no comment’ responses to police questions. He did, however, later admit to a charge of hijacking on the grounds of joint enterprise.

The court heard he has a criminal record and has 20 previous convictions.

Defence barrister Luke Curran spoke of his client’s “difficult upbringing” including a lack of discipline, structure and education.

Revealing Allen has mental health issues coupled with alcohol and substance misuse, Mr Curran said he was a young man “susceptible to negative peers.”

Mr Curran added that despite being of a limited intellectual ability, Allen was working to- wards several City and Guilds qualifications whilst in Hydebank — a move his barrister said was evidence of “trying to build a more positive future”.

On the offence itself, Mr Curran said Allen was a secondary party and a back-seat passenger, and not the one who threatened or assaulted the driver.

Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland said it was traumatic for the driver involved.

Pointing out that from start to finish the ordeal lasted around three and a half hours, the judge said it must have been “an appalling experience” for him.

Addressing Allen, he was told by Judge McFarland: “You were not directly involved in the sense that you may not have been involved in the threats and intimidation, but you were in the car.

“You could have made a choice at some stage to leave that car, but you didn’t, and you have to take responsibility for what happened in that car, even if you were not a primary party,” he said.

The 18-month sentence will be divided between nine months in Hydebank, followed by a further nine months on licence.