Man who deliberately rammed car into police vehicle jailed for two years

A man who deliberately rammed his car into a police vehicle during a series of dangerous driving offences in the Shantallow area of Derry last summer has been jailed for two years at Derry Crown Court.

Ryan McLaughlin (29) from Bligh's Gardens in Derry admitted driving dangerously in the Glenabbey Road, Ederowen Park and Racecourse Road areas of the city on the night of August 11, 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing drugs, resisting a police officer, possessing a machete, failing to stop and driving without insurance on the same date.

Judge Neil Rafferty KC said there was a need for deterrent custodial sentences for defendants who drove dangerously in order to avoid being arrested by the police.

The court heard that McLaughlin drove an Audi car at a police car at Glenabbey Crescent narrowly missing the vehicle. The police activated their emergency lights indicating for McLaughlin to stop but he sped off.

Half an hour later the police found the car parked at Ederowen Park and when an officer attempted to open the front passenger door McLaughlin again drove off mounting a grass verge in the process.

The court was told that one of the police vehicles that was searching for McLaughlin was sitting stationary at the Racecourse Road roundabout the defendant rammed them causing the police vehicle to career into the middle of the roundabout after which the defendant continued past on the footpath driving towards Racecourse Road whilst sounding his horn continuously.

Police located the vehicle abandoned on Racecourse Road and observed the defendant at a distance running towards Cornshell Fields. 

Police searched the car and found a number of items including a large machete knife on which the defendant's fingerprint was later found, a Stanley knife and a small quantity of drugs sitting on the driver's seat.

The court that once police located McLaughlin he actively resisted arrest by being aggressive and obstructive and limb restraints had to be applied.

A prosecutor said McLaughlin denied all knowledge of his offending when interviewed and said he was walking to his girlfriend's home "when the police jumped on top of him".

He denied the drugs were his and said he'd never seen the machete before.

Judge Rafferty said McLaughlin had sixteen previous convictions, six of them for road traffic offences. At the time of his offending McLaughlin was under a suspended sentence for harassment, assault and threats to kill.

The judge said while on remand for six months following his offending McLaughlin seemed to have made some significant efforts to try to rehabilitate himself in terms of his alcohol and drugs issues.

"We have three dangerous drivings, bang, bang, bang during which he rammed a police vehicle onto a roundabout causing a soft tissue injury to one of the officers and damaging the police cell van", he said.

McLaughlin was jailed for two years and disqualified from driving for a period of 18 months.