Teens in court after dramatic cross-border pursuit by police

A TYRONE court has been told that a car containing five teenagers – all under the age of 18 – was eventually stopped by police outside Newtownstewart after a chase lasting for more than 20 miles.

The five – who cannot be named because of their age – were released on bail when they appeared via videolink at Strabane Magistrates Court last Thursday morning.

A number of those charged are from the Republic of Ireland.

A PSNI officer said that they could connect each of the five to the charges.

The court was told that, at around 12.10am last Wednesday, the PSNI received a call from An Garda Siochana saying that the vehicle – a white Toyota – containing the five had failed to stop for them and had crossed the bridge at Lifford into the North.

PSNI officers observed the vehicle at Sion Mills and pursued it towards Newtownstewart. A ‘stinger’ device was used in a bid to get the vehicle to stop, but it drove over this and continued on its way into Newtownstewart.

It was at this point that the vehicle was seen travelling at a speed of just 15 to 20mph, and swerving across the road.

When the vehicle was stopped the PSNI noticed that five people were in it. However, they were forced to smash the window in order to gain access.

The driver of the vehicle was found to have a small quantity of cannabis in his coat pocket, which he claimed to have smoked around three hours earlier.

During interview, the driver denied going equipped for burglary. He said that a screwdriver and a pair of pliers found in the vehicle had been there already, and that he had used one of these items to start the ignition.

He claimed that he had failed to stop because he was unsure whether it was the PSNI who were in pursuit of the vehicle as “anyone could have robbed a police car”.

The 16-year-old driver has been charged with nine different offences, including aggravated vehicle taking causing damage to the vehicle, driving when unfit through drink or drug, dangerous driving, going equipped for theft and driving without a licence.

They also include damaging a cell belonging to the PSNI at its Omagh Custody Suite by flooding it.

The other four were charged with allowing themselves to be carried and going equipped for theft.

District Judge, Stephen Keown, described the affair as a “sordid episode”.

He released the five on their own bail of £50 and adjourned the cases against them until the Strabane Youth Court sitting on January 20.