JAIL ESCAPEE and garda killer Martin McDermott has been sentenced to four months in prison at the Magistrate’s Court in Derry yesterday for offences linked to his arrest by the PSNI.
Judge Barney McElholm was told that a European arrest warrant had been issued by An Garda for McDermott’s arrest following his escape from the low-security Loughan House prison in Blacklion, Co Cavan, last Thursday.
A garda was in the Bishop Street courthouse in Derry for yesterday’s video link hearing from Maghaberry Prison, to which McDermott had been remanded in custody following a special court in the city on St Patrick’s Day.
Defence solicitor Keith Kyle said McDermott (26), Raphoe, Co Donegal, was waiving his right to a pre-sentence report and was willing to have the matters dealt with immediately.
McDermott, who was eight months into a seven-year jail sentence for the manslaughter of Garda Gary McLoughlin in a car crash at Burt, Co Donegal, in 2009, pleaded guilty to three charges of assaulting PSNI officers, to one charge of resisting arrest and to one charge of causing criminal damage to a set of PSNI handcuffs in Derry last Friday.
A prosecution solicitor said that McDermott was seen just before 11am last Friday by police officers on foot patrol in Galliagh. McDermott was walking on Fern Road against oncoming traffic.
“He saw the police officers and he ran off. He was pursued by the officers and caught after a prolonged chase . . .”
There was a long struggle during which McDermott became extremely violent. Two sets of handcuffs had to be used to restrain him.
“He was arrested and taken to Strand Road police station where during interview he admitted the offences and apologised to the police,” the prosecution solicitor said.
Mr Kyle said while McDermott has almost 100 previous convictions in the Republic, his only conviction in Northern Ireland was for failing to surrender to police bail.
Judge McElholm said McDermott had “a serious record” in the Republic and imposed a four-month concurrent jail sentence.
The garda at the hearing said the European arrest warrant would be executed on McDermott “at a later date”.