'Big spoilt boy' refused bail by Derry judge

A ‘big spoilt boy’ from Derry accused of assaulting his sisters and committing driving offences has been refused bail.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Derry Magistrates Court for a bail application in relation to charges of dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, no insurance and Failing to stop for police on December 7, 2016.

An officer said that police were on a mobile patrol in the Springtown area of Derry when they observed a Volkswagen Bora drive by leaving smoke ‘hanging in the night air’.

Plain-clothed PSNI officers followed in an unmarked vehicle and the VW came to a stop in an area behind business units.

They pulled up in front of the vehicle ‘without blocking it in’ and noticed the driver’s face as he leaned forward to the windscreen.

Flashing lights were turned on in the police vehicle and the VW sped off with smoke billowing from the back of it.

The officer said it exited Springtown and headed in the direction of the Buncrana Road, with the police in pursuit with flashing lights and sirens.

The VW drove at speed towards oncoming traffic causing other road users to stop to avoid a collision as it made its way to the border.

The vehicle went over the border and police later discovered it was registered to the defendant.

When the youth was brought in for questioning, the officer said he was ‘instantly recognisable as the driver’ he had chased.

The defendant said he had sold the vehicle and denied any involvement in the incident.

The police said a VW key was found in his possession but there was no way of confirming that it belonged to that vehicle as it was never recovered.

Bail was objected to by the police because the defendant had been refused bail at the Magistrates and High Court previously due to the ‘perceived risk’ he poses.

The proposed bail address was also an issue for the police, because of allegations made by the defendant’s sisters that he had assaulted them in November.

It was alleged that he was in possession of an offensive weapon at the time, namely a piece of wood with nails in it.

Bail conditions put in place following the incident prohibited him from staying at that address.

The police said he has been involved in multiple domestic violence incidents, in which weapons had been taken into the house.

The court heard the defendant has received five suspended sentences for similar matters, and no bail conditions would alleviate police concerns, the officer added.

His driving was ‘terrible that night’, the police officer explained, and the youth was subject to bail conditions at the time.

A defence solicitor said the Youth Justice Agency had put a ‘simple support package’ in place to assist his bail application.

She said her client has had time to reflect and realises the affect his behaviour was having on his family and girlfriend.

He is willing to abide by any bail conditions the court deemed necessary, she added.

District Judge Barney McElholm said the teenager has breached a probation order previously.

The judge said the fact that the two sisters have had to move out of the home address to accommodate the defendant suggested he was a ‘big spoilt boy’.

Bail was refused and the defendant will appear at Youth Court on January 24.