Judge gives a chance to murder victim’s brother

Judge gives a chance to murder victim’s brother

29 August 2012

THE brother of murdered Newcastle teenager Paul Owens appeared in court this week charged with criminal damage.

Twenty one year-old Nathan Owens was in Downpatrick District Court after being charged with damaging a Toyota Corolla car in Castlewellan on November 19 last year.

Owens, of Burrendale Park Road, Newcastle, caused £1,000 damage to the car after he broke the windscreen, dented a panel, broke off the radio aerial and damaged a wiper.

Police who were called to investigate the damage, noticed a nearby ambulance was treating Owens for a badly lacerated hand. When they asked him how he suffered the injury Owens didn’t reply, however, blood found inside the car was a DNA match.

The court heard Owens was just nine days into a suspended sentence imposed by another court.

A solicitor said Owens is very remorseful about the attack and has raised £250 so far towards the cost the damage.

“I believe this case must be viewed in the context of his brother’s murder,” said the lawyer. “His brother was tragically killed and he was very close to him. He has been struggling to overcome his grief every since.”

He said Owens had been drinking that night and has little recollection of the incident.

Owens has also been the victim of a separate stabbing incident in Newcastle for which a Castlewellan man is facing a Crown Court trial.

The solicitor explained that Owens was a stone mason and bricklayer and his father was planning to take him to London to seek work which would allow him to raise the money to pay off the remainder of the £1,000 bill for the damage to the car.

District Judge Greg McCourt admitted he was on the verge of sending Owens to prison for breaching the suspended sentence. However, he decided to defer sentencing for six months to give Owens the chance to pay the money back.

“The tragic murder of your brother, which rightly means a great deal of sympathy falls with you, is no excuse for this kind of behaviour,” said the judge.

“If you are going to work in London you will have ample opportunity to pay the rest of this money,” said Mr. McCourt.