Man crashed into Co Derry pharmacy after taking roundabout too fast

A judge has described an incident in which a man failed to inform police he had crashed into a County Derry pharmacy in the early hours of the morning as 'despicable'.

John McDonagh (40), of Gortview Close, Omagh, County Tyrone, appeared at Magherafelt Magistrates Court on Wednesday to enter guilty pleas to failing to report an accident and careless driving.

The court heard police had responded to a call from the owner of a pharmacy on Castle Street, Bellaghy at around 10.00am on March 3 2022.

The owner said a red van had crashed into the premises, causing damage to both the vehicle and the building itself.

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Defence counsel said a period of custody might help the defendant 'dry out'.

CCTV showed the van crashing into the pharmacy building at approximately 1.50am that morning, before a man got out and appeared to make a number of phone calls.

Checks identified the owner of the vehicle as the defendant, and when arrested and interviewed, he gave a 'no comment' interview.

Defence for McDonagh said he had not been aware he was required to contact police if there were no injuries as a result of a collision, claiming he was told this by police during a previous incident.

When the defendant returned to the scene later that day, he had assumed the vehicle had been collected by his insurance company, who he had phoned after the incident.

Counsel said that the road had been greasy at the time of the incident due to rain, and that McDonagh had accepted he had been driving too fast for the conditions.

Judge Mullan said the incident had been 'extremely distasteful' given that the defendant had made off without phoning the police, and that as a 'mature man', he 'should have known better'.

“It was despicable not to report this immediately,” she added.

The judge endorsed the defendant's licence with six penalty points and fined him a total of £400, alongside the £15 offender's levy.