Northern Ireland

Crashed car ‘rolled up to three times’ during police pursuit, High Court hears

Drugs accused granted bail

The Royal Courts of Justice where the High Court and the Court of Appeal sit in Belfast
(Liam McBurney/PA)

A car storing bags of cocaine crashed into a concrete pillar and rolled up to three times during a police pursuit in Co Fermanagh, the High Court heard on Wednesday.

Prosecutors claimed 34-year-old Gary Monaghan lost control of the Ford Focus as officers tried to bring it to a halt.

Monaghan, of Brownhill Meadows in Irvinestown, was granted bail on a series of charges related to the incident in the early hours of November 12 this year.

The court heard that a PSNI patrol observed the car travelling erratically and veering across the central reservation on Cornagrade Road in Enniskillen.

Officers followed the Focus onto Factory Road and turned on their blue lights in a bid to get the driver to stop.

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The motorist increased his speed on hearing the sirens but then lost control, “fishtailed” and collided with a concrete pillar, according to Crown counsel.

She said: “The vehicle rolled two or three times following impact before coming to a stop on all four wheels.”

Monaghan managed to get out of the car, but police had to help free another man who had been travelling as a passenger.

A number of bags of suspected cocaine were located in the driver’s seat and central console areas.

Counsel claimed Monaghan was abusive at the scene, failed a preliminary breath test and later refused to provide a blood sample in hospital.

He faces charges of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, assaulting a PSNI constable, and failing to provide a specimen on suspicion of driving while unfit.

During interviews he made no comment to questions but issued a written statement to deny the offences.

“It has been suggested that he wasn’t aware of the drugs,” the prosecutor added.

Monaghan’s application to be released from custody was not opposed based on a lack of any relevant record.

Granting bail, Mr Justice O’Hara ordered him to live under curfew and prohibited any contact with his co-accused.