A MAN who stole a tractor after being "abandoned by his friends" and was trying to get home, has been jailed for five months.
Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, heard that Thomas George Kincaid was spotted behind the wheel of the Massey Ferguson 390 tractor on October 3 2017.
A prosecuting lawyer told the court the rightful owner’s grandson pursued the tractor in his car but when he pulled in front of the tractor to try to stop it on the Parkgate Road in Kells, his car was “rammed” by the stolen farm machine, reportedly worth around £12,000.
With both vehicles extensively damaged the two men became involved in a physical fight but at one stage, the injured party had Kincaid “by the throat” and punched him in the face before managing to get away.
Kincaid, who appeared at court by videolink from Maghaberry Prison, entered guilty pleas to a total of seven offences including assault, driving while banned, driving without insurance, aggravated vehicle theft causing damage, careless driving, failing to report and remain.
He was arrested after police seized a mobile phone at the scene after it fell from his pocket during the fight and his DNA profile was found on it.
Defence counsel Aaron Thompson said that for Kincaid, “it was basically the 'morning after' gone wrong” as he had been abandoned by his friends and was trying to get home.
He revealed that Kincaid is currently serving a seven year sentence, submitting that had the Derry Crown Court judge also been dealing with this case, it would not have had a material effect on the sentence.
Imposing a five month prison sentence, District Judge Nigel Broderick said Kincaid has a “very poor record” but he was taking account of the “totality principle.”
In addition to the jail sentence, Kincaid was also handed a five year driving ban.
