Man sentenced following Belfast hijacking and car crash

A man (22) whose blood was detected on the airbag of a car that was stolen and then crashed into a set of traffic lights in north Belfast today apologised for his actions following sentencing.

Appearing in the dock of Belfast Crown Court, Kevin Joseph David McFall - whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry - was handed a sentence of two-years and four-months after he admitted a single charge of hijacking a Peugeot 206.

The court had heard that the incident on March 22nd, 2014, was committed whilst McFall was on licence for a previous offence.

The court was also told that McFall’s guilty plea spared the “nervous” car owner from having to give evidence.

Crown case

Outlining the Crown case against McFall, prosecuting barrister Peter Magill said that on the evening in question police attended the scene of a crashed vehicle at the junction between the Ballygomartin Road and Forthriver Road in the city.

A Peugeot 206 had crashed into a set of traffic lights and was badly damaged. Investigations revealed the car had been hijacked from its owner at nearby Twaddell Avenue.

The theft occurred when the car owner was approached from behind and had the car keys taken from him.

As his car was driven off, the owner saw a second male get into the vehicle before it sped off.

Saying the car “didn’t get very far”, Mr Magill described how it crashed into traffic lights a short distance away.

The owner was unable to provide police with a description of the man who took his keys or the second male who got into the car.

However, due to the crash the driver’s airbag was deployed, and McFall’s blood was found on the airbag.

Mr Magill said it was the Crown’s case that it could not be proved beyond doubt that McFall was the male who hijacked the Peugeot, but said that McFall’s guilty plea had spared the owner - who was “very nervous and shaken as a result of the incident” - from coming to court to give evidence.

The prosecutor revealed that after McFall was arrested, it emerged that he was under licence for an unrelated offence.

It also emerged that McFall has 91 previous convictions.

‘Not a typical hijacking’

Defence barrister Martin Morgan said the incident was "not a typical hijacking" in that there was no weapon used, no threat issued and that "minimal force" was used when McFall moved the car owner to the side before taking the car keys from his hand.

Mr Morgan also revealed that since his arrest and detention, McFall has had to deal with “emotional stress” due to illness within his family.

The barrister said that his client’s guilty plea was of “monumental significance” to the car owner.

After Ms Justice Patricia Smyth sentenced McFall, he said: "Thank you, your honour. Let me say something . . . I am very sorry."