Derry Court: Man (38 ) receives six month jail for driving offences

District Judge Barney McElholm has told a man that any chance he had of avoiding a custodial sentence had gone when he told Probation a 'ludicrous story.'

Matthew Curry (38) of Clon Elagh in Derry admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on March 17 when he appeared at the local Magistrate's Court today.

The court heard that around 6.45pm a police patrol observed the defendant parking a vehicle outside his house and exiting. 

They knew him to be a disqualified driver having been disqualified for three years in September 2022.

Curry told police that his wife had gone in to get chips and he had 'jumped into the driver's seat'.

Defence counsel Michael Donaghey told the court that Curry was in a 'serious difficulty'.

He said that there was never a good reason for driving while disqualified and his case was not helped by telling a different story to Probation than he had told to police.

The barrister said that Curry had claimed he had driven off because he noticed people watching him and he had previously been the victim of a punishment attack.

He said that the report made clear he was 'remorseful' for his actions.

Judge McElholm said that this man had been given a chance when he was given a suspended sentence which was designed to 'bring it home to him that this is the end of it'.

He said that he then decided to jump into a car and drive home and to compound matters told a 'ludicrous' story to probation.

He jailed Curry for 6 months.