Banned driver convicted after hit-and-run incident in Omagh

A DISQUALIFIED driver who was involved in a hit-and-run incident has been spared jail, a court has heard.

At Omagh Magistrates Court,  20-year-old Jack Chambers, with no listed address, was handed a suspended sentence for the motoring offences.

The court heard that police received a report on October 17, 2023, that damage had been caused to a car in the Brookmount Road Centra car park.

Officers arrived and reviewed CCTV, showing a Volkswagen Jetta reverse into the injured party’s car.

The officers identified Chambers and knew he was a disqualified driver. Chambers was later interviewed and made no comment.

Defence solicitor Gerard Trainor asked the court to give credit for the 20-year-old’s early plea, stating that: “We both agree that the custody threshold has been passed.”

Mr Trainor said that Chamber had thought his previous driving disqualification was over and that he was therefore safe to drive.

Deputy district judge Francis Rafferty said to Chambers: “You seem to think the rules of the road don’t apply to you.”

Chambers replied: “I was going through a bad time (at the time of the offences)”

Judge Rafferty replied: “Everyone has bad times but that doesn’t mean you can repeatedly break driving laws.”

Chambers was handed a five month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, alongside a further two-year driving disqualification and a fine of £500.