Armed gang escape prison after ‘ugly’ attack ends in court

Armed gang escape prison after ‘ugly’ attack ends in court

13 May 2015

FOUR men and a woman have escaped immediate custody after a “disturbing and ugly incident’’ arising from a family dispute over land outside Downpatrick.

Four of the defendants received suspended prison sentences while sentencing of the fifth man was adjourned for six months so he can prove himself to to the court.

Stephanie Kearney (42), of Pegasus Walk, Downpatrick; Raymond Thomas Norton (28), of Killough Park, Downpatrick; his father Edward Raymond Norton (64), of Slieveshan Park, Kilkeel; Robert Jamison (21), of Ballymartin Village, Kilkeel; and Darryl Jamison (20), of Ballykeel Court, Ballymartin, had admitted being in an armed gang that drove to a farm at Killough Road outside Downpatrick in the middle of the night on February 28 last year.

They had each pleaded guilty to charges of affray and possessing offensive weapons.

Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast last week, heard that the charges related to an incident at the farm owned by Maureen McKibben, a sister of defendant Stephanie Kearney.

Prosecution QC David McDowell told the court that at 1.40am three car loads of people turned up at the lane way of Mrs McKibben’s isolated home, which had been protected by CCTV cameras.

Judge Stephen Fowler QC was told that Mrs McKibben, her son Jonathan and her partner Martin McAleavey went to investigate. 

Jonathan McKibben told police that he feared trouble when he heard the cars coming up the laneway and lifted a golf club because of concerns about trouble over an ongoing family dispute centred on a disagreement over a farm.

The court heard that when he went outside the defendants were swinging their weapons and making threatening and abusive remarks.

Stephanie Kearney got out of one of the cars, the court was told, and grabbed her sister by the hair and trailed her into the middle of the group of men, threatening her and hitting her around the head with her free hand.

Mr McDowell said the group made threats and were shouting “we are going to have a smashing time’’. 

Another threat was made directly to Maureen McKibben saying “she had been f***ing warned’’.

The incident only came to end when the three residents managed to get back into their house to contact police and other family members.

Police later spotted three suspicious cars leaving the scene. Two of the cars split away and the police patrol pursued one car before bringing it to a halt.

Inside the vehicle was driver Edward Norton with his passengers Robert and Darryl Jamison. 

Stephanie Kearney and Raymond Norton were arrested during follow up inquiries. Police also recovered sticks, bats, hurls and metal bars.

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Fowler said Maureen McKibben had suffered “significant distress’’ during the attack and as a result of the incident had “lumps of hair pulled out of her head’’.

“The sad fact in all of this is that this was the result of a family dispute,’’ said the judge.

He added that it was also sad that no other family member was able to “bring some sense of reason to these people’’.

Stephanie Kearney, Raymond and Edward Norton along with Darryl Jamison received one year imprisonment suspended for three years.

Judge Fowler deferred sentence on Robert Jamison for six months “to prove himself’’ due to a 2012 conviction for affray and possessing an offensive weapon for which he received a nine month prison sentence suspended for two years.