Woman hurt in violent bid to hijack car, court is told

A CO Armagh man appeared in court yesterday accused of a violent attempt to hijack a woman’s car.

As well as being charged with attempted hijacking at Newry Magistrates Court, James Dalton (29) was also charged with causing the driver actual bodily harm on Sunday.

Giving evidence to the court, a PSNI detective constable said he believed he could connect Dalton to the offences.

None of the facts were opened in court, but at the time of the incident on the Tullysaran Road in Armagh, police said the victim was left with a black eye.

The PSNI said at the time that a man had flagged down a car and asked the woman driver for directions. He then opened the door of the car and assaulted the driver but she was able to make off from the scene in her car, a blue Peugeot 307, having sustained facial injuries.

Dalton, from the Upper Darkley Road in Keady, also appeared on four other sets of charges and warrants for his arrest on numerous driving offences and cultivating cannabis.

Defence counsel Kevin O’hare suggested to District Judge Eamon King that he could pass sentence on those to “basically clear the deck”.

In each of those cases, Mr King imposed two year driving bans and four month jail sentences, which he suspended for two years, as well as fines totalling £200.

Although Dalton was granted bail in the attempted hijacking case, the judge ordered the fines to be paid with an immediate warrant, ordering the Co Armagh man to serve a week in jail in default.

His case was adjourned to February 17.