Fintona man jailed for latest in a long line of offences

A 25-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for three months after fleeing a car which had fake plates, only to be identified by a court summons found inside the vehicle.

Stefan Balaz (25), of Kings Street, Fintona, pleaded guilty to the offences.

Omagh Magistrates Court heard that, on February 13, just before 2am, a police checkpoint on the Crevenagh Road in Omagh saw a black Mercedes pull into a nearby car park in an attempt to avoid the checkpoint. When police investigated, they found the driver had fled the scene.

However, a quick search of the car found a court summons document for a separate case.

Further checks found that the driver had been using fake number plates. Police went to the defendant’s address where Balaz was arrested and taken to custody.

The court noted that he had 30 prior convictions in the past two years.

A defence counsel told the court that Balaz moved to the North in 2020, where he resides with his partner and three children.

However, on August 26, he was imprisoned following a separate matter before a court in Antrim where he was sentenced to five months.

He added that Balaz had worked as a barber and hoped to return to his employment after serving his time in custody.

District Judge Ted Magill accepted Balaz’s guilty plea but noted his lack of cooperation with police. He observed that Balaz was ‘stupid’ for fleeing after leaving his court documents in the car, and cited the use of fake plates as an attempt to evade detection.

A driving ban of 18 months and a fine of £500 were also imposed.