Derry man who stole delivery driver's car in Creggan jailed

Stephen O'Kane (35) of Fanad Drive in Derry was charged with stealing the car of a delivery driver in Leenan Gardens in the Creggan area of the city on September 23.

The court heard on Friday that a driver was dropping off an order when he noticed a man getting into his car.

A police patrol stopped the car not far away in Beechwood Avenue and O'Kane refused to give a breath specimen and police saw a number of alcoholic beverages in the car.

Later, his evidential breath test revealed a reading of 105mgs, three times the legal limit.

O'Kane had previously been disqualified from driving for fifteen years in 2014.

Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said that it was an 'opportunistic' crime, saying that he simply 'saw the car and got in'.

He also added that this was his first driving offence since his disqualification.

Further to this, the solicitor said that O'Kane had pleaded guilty and had been 'trying to get his life back together'.

District Judge Barney McElhom said that this was 'the last thing the delivery driver had expected'.

The judge added that, had O'Kane crashed, it would've left the driver without any income in the run up to Christmas.

He sentenced O'Kane to four months in custody.

The judge also imposed a fine of £100 and ordered that O’Kane be disqualified from driving for five years.