Judge jails Dunmurry man over two ‘outrageous’ driving incidents
A DRINK driver pursued by police through the streets of Belfast in two separate “outrageous” motoring incidents has been jailed for 12 months.
Gerrard Connors was told he would be facing even longer in prison if the sentencing powers were available.
The 30-year-old, from Glenkeen in Dunmurry, pleaded guilty to a catalogue of driving offences and a burglary.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard he was behind the wheel of an Audi A4 spotted undertaking other cars on the Andersonstown Road on January 28.
The vehicle sped off as police followed, heading through a car park at a set of shops and the forecourt of a filling station on Finaghy Road North.
At one point, officers were concerned that the Audi was going to be driven into them, but instead it mounted a footpath before coming to a halt. Connors was “rambling” and failed a breath test when arrested.
In a separate incident on August 31 last year, he defied traffic signs by driving a Ford Mondeo onto the Donegall Road and Sandy Row in south Belfast.
Once again, he failed to stop for police, travelling on at speed amid oncoming traffic on the
Lisburn Road. He admitted charges including dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol, driving while disqualified and breaching a traffic sign.
A guilty plea was also entered to a burglary at a house on Apsley Street in Belfast on January 21 last year. Intruders broke into the property, splashed bleach inside and stole £600 in cash.
Deputy District Judge Liam Mcstay ordered Connors to serve a total of 12 months in custody and banned him from driving for five years. Mr Mcstay told him: “The driving matters are absolutely outrageous. I find myself restricted in the sentence that I would wish to impose.”
THE suspected kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard highlights the urgent need for more to be done to tackle violence against women, an Alliance councillor has said.
The 33-year-old marketing executive vanished while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London last week.
Human remains – which have not yet been formally identified – were later found in an area of woodland in Ashford, Kent, by detectives investigating Ms
Everard’s disappearance. The case has prompted an outpouring of shock and anger as women across the country shared their own experiences of feeling unsafe.
Councillor Sorcha Eastwood took to social media earlier this week to detail some of her own experiences of “unacceptable behaviour”, which she says was “a feature of life” for herself and her peers growing up.
The Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council member told the Belfast Telegraph: “I met with some young people last week who spoke about their issues around personal safety, especially at night. I was shocked to hear some of their stories and it made me realise that not much has changed in the 25 years when I was their age.
“It’s absolutely terrifying that for those young people, who obviously grew up in a completely different world to me, all those same problems still exist. Unfortunately social media is also making them both more accessible and vulnerable but yet we still haven’t tackled the problem in terms of the societal response.”
Ms Eastwood says she felt compelled to talk about her own experiences in light of the Sarah Everard case.
“It’s hard to pick out a single one as there have been too many.
“It was everything from general inappropriateness to over-familiarity and as you get older and start going out at night, it might have been someone trying to hold your hand on a train or following you off it,” she said.
“I remember my mum coaching me on how to walk with purpose and as if you’re not to be messed with while also having something like an umbrella to defend yourself with.
“At the end of the day the responsibility is not mine, it’s to make sure that we have a society where people don’t think it’s OK to go out and attack, molest or assault people, particularly women.”
Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the case shows that more needs to be done to protect women and ensure everyone feels safe on our streets no matter where they live.”
“The news of Sarah’s disappearance and the ongoing inquiries will be deeply distressing for so many in our society,” the SDLP deputy leader added.
“The reports have sent shockwaves across our community and women of all ages have shared stories of feeling unsafe in their own streets.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said “every woman should feel safe to walk our streets without fear of harassment or violence”, after Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick sought to reassure people but acknowledged women in London “will be worried and may well be feeling scared”.