A Derry man charged with motoring offences has been released on bail despite having two warrants issued for his arrest in England.
District Judge Peter King granted bail after being told the English police forces who sought him ‘couldn’t send anyone over’ to Northern Ireland and they didn’t seem ‘particularly motivated’.
Martin Stokes, 23, of Cornshell Fields, has been charged with seven motoring offences including driving while unfit through drink/drugs, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and failing to stop for police on April 28 of this year.
Around 1.30am on that date, a police officer explained, Stokes is alleged to have driven dangerously at the Caw Roundabout in the city. Bail was opposed due to a ‘number of factors’ which the officer said included the defendant being a flight risk, a likelihood of further offending, previous convictions in this jurisdiction and warrants for his arrest issued in England – where he is a banned driver.
The officer told the court that warrants have been issued in Blackpool and Bradford and Stokes is a man who has ‘travelled extensively throughout mainland England’. It was explained that those police forces ‘couldn’t send anyone over here’ to execute the outstanding arrest warrants.
Representing Stokes, defence barrister Stephen Chapman said the risk of flight was the ‘real issue’ but he submitted that his client is from Derry and has been residing in the city for years. He believed police sought Stokes on foot of probation warrants.
The court was told that the 23-year-old has mental health issues and had therefore booked an appointment with Grangewood for May 3. His family, who were in attendance, were also prepared to provide a £1,000 surety.
The District Judge said the police forces in England would be ‘bemused’ if the court ‘let him go’, however, Mr Chapman suggested those police forces didn’t seem ‘particularly motivated’ to deal with the warrants.
Judge King granted the defendant his own bail of £500 and a £1,000 surety to reside at Cornshell Fields. He will have a curfew of 9pm-7am, will be electronically tagged, must present at his front door when required to do so by police and an interim driving disqualification was put in place.
The District Judge ‘had been minded’ to remand the defendant in custody but he said the two English police forces ‘don’t seem that bothered about the warrants’.
A pre-sentence probation report was ordered for June 15 when Stokes will appear to be sentenced.
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