£11k damage caused to car during chase in Moy, court told

A 28-YEAR-OLD man who led police on chase, causing £11k damage to a parked car, has been given the chance to ‘show change’.

Sentencing was deferred in the case of Ryan Cassidy, from Drumarg Park, Armagh, at Dungannon Crown Court today.

He was charged with driving whilst disqualified, two counts of dangerous driving and three counts of aggravated vehicle taking causing damage.

The case relates to January 8, 2024, when a grey BMW car was seen by a police patrol making a dangerous overtake on the Moy Road.

Police said they seen oncoming traffic coming to a halt to avoid colliding with the car.

The patrol activated their lights and sirens but the BMW car drove off ‘at speed’ out of sight.

The car was spotted again in the Moy area after police alerted nearby patrols but when sirens were activated it made off at speed again.

Later that day on Killyman Street in Moy, the car was seen stationary in traffic by a police car traveling in the opposite direction.

They turned, activating their lights and sirens, when the BMW reversed ‘at speed’, colliding with the car behind with such force that it ‘lifted off the ground’.

A pursuit was initiated which saw the BMW reverse a further ‘600 meters’ before colliding with three more parked vehicles.

Police were then able to ‘box in’ the car, but the driver jumped into the back seat and fled on foot from the back rear door.

This prompted a ‘resource heavy’ search; a helicopter and specialist dog units were deployed to locate the driver, who was reported by members of the public.

The man, identified as Cassidy, was located and detained, with police discovering that he had been disqualified from driving just months prior.

In custody, the defendant provided a largely ‘no comment interview’, but the police obtained a statement from his brother confirming that Cassidy had taken his car without permission.

Following the incident, the damage caused to the car on Killyman Street was valued at £11,170.

The court was told that Cassidy had 28 prior driving convictions alongside four previous Crown Court appearances.

His Honour, Judge Brian Sherrard, highlighted that these offences occurred under the influence of drugs, but noted that Cassidy has since sought help for his issues and has not offended in one year and nine months.

A pre-sentence report detailed that while Cassidy was ‘apologetic’, he ‘lacked insight’ into the impact of his offending, adding that there was a ‘high risk’ of reoffending.

A previous hearing heard evidence from the defendant’s mother, who said she was ‘exhausted’ of his offending, but believes that he has changed for the better in the past year, having ‘tuned a new leaf’.

Judge Sherrard said that the custody threshold was ‘well passed’, but decided to defer the sentence until June 6, 2026, to see if Cassidy has ‘changed for the better’.

He ordered that in the eight-month intervening period Cassidy must not offend, seek treatment for his drug issues, retain his employment and participate in a community support group.

“The matter is in your hands now,” judge Sherrard told Cassidy.