Man given a suspended sentence for causing £20,000 of damage to petrol pumps

A man described as 'clearly a danger on the road' has been given a suspended sentence for causing £20,000 of damage to petrol pumps.

Paul Gareth Deery, 29, of Campion Court in Derry was charged with dangerous driving and a series of driving offences including crashing into petrol pumps on the Prehen Road on June 14.

The court heard that police were called to a report of a traffic accident and found a vehicle had crashed into petrol pumps causing extensive damage to the front of the car, which was described as a 'write off'. 

A female that was also in the car called 999 and told police that she and her friend had been drinking before taking the car out before he had left the road and hit the pumps. 

Deery had made off and left the woman who needed hospital treatment for her injuries. 

Fire services attended to make the site safe as the crash caused fuel to spill on the forecourt. 

The owner of the station told police that the crash had caused £20,000 worth of damage to his business.

Police found Deery not far from the site and arrested him for a number of driving offences and when interviewed he answered 'no comment'.

Defence Barrister Stephen Mooney told the court that Deery acknowledged that they were 'very serious offences' and told the court that his client had been 'caught red handed'. 

He also told the court that Deery had a problem with alcohol that he was now seeking treatment for.

District Judge Barney McElhom said that a compensation order was 'not realistic' as the defendant was on a low income and added that Deery was 'clearly dangerous on the road'. 

He sentenced him to five months, suspended for three years and 18 months probation.