Man jailed again after PSNI chase

Man jailed again after PSNI chase

24 October 2012

A NEWCASTLE man, who has over 300 criminal convictions, has been jailed again by a Crown Court judge.

Thirty nine year-old Stephen Paul Gibbons, whose previous convictions include 108 offences for road traffic offences, was jailed for 18 months after he appeared in court on Friday for dangerous driving.

Gibbons, of Burrendale Park Road, was well known to police as a disqualified driver when he was spotted driving off in a car from the Barbican Service Station in Newcastle on December 17 last year.

He was chased by the police but drove at speed along Dundrum Road, Railway Street, Donard Street and Bryansford Avenue, before eventually giving police the slip at Valentia Place.

Shortly afterwards police spotted him driving out of Donard Street against the one-way system and then into the one-way system on Railway Street and Dundrum Road before making off in the direction of Belfast.

Police again took up the chase but decided to break off when Gibbons’ driving became increasingly erratic. He was driving at speeds of between 50 and 70mph and overtaking cars in a dangerous way.

Some time later another police patrol saw the car driving between Temple and Lisburn and took up the chase, which at times reached speeds of over 100mph before Gibbons was finally stopped and arrested.

He was charged with dangerous driving, no insurance and driving while disqualified.

The court was told Gibbons had been released from prison five months before the incident having served half of an eight year sentence for robbery. He was on licence when he committed the driving offences in Newcastle which meant he could have been returned to prison to complete the eight year sentence.

However, defence barrister, Neil Fox, asked Judge David Smith to take the unusual step of not jailing Gibbons for the offences.

Acknowledging that someone with such a long criminal record was inevitably facing custody, Mr. Fox said Gibbons has arrived at a “Rubicon moment” since leaving prison in July 2011.

“He has been sent to jail on numerous occasions. He has spent the majority of his adult life in institutions and to a large extent has become institutionalised,” said Mr. Fox.

“People like this almost seek to carry out offences to get back into the institutions within which they feel comfortable,” he added.

Mr. Fox said previous reports by the Probation Service have found Gibbons unremorseful for his actions, citing his addiction to drugs as a major consideration.

“But over the last year since he was released and been meeting with Probation officers it does appear there has been a Rubicon moment where he does not want to go back into prison,” he said.

A Probation Service official told the court Gibbons has engaged fully and has undergone courses to help him with alcohol and drug abuse. She said he even sought out additional help and support when the courses ended.

Judge Smith said he would not return Gibbons to prison to complete the sentence for robbery because he had made strides to help himself since being released and because the latest offences were of a different nature.

However, he said Gibbons had to face a period in custody because of the nature of the offences and his long criminal record.

“It can be said that you have no regard for the health and safety of people using the roads or for the law that attempts to regulate how driving on the roads should be done,” said Judge Smith.

Gibbons must spend 22 months on licence once he is released from prison, the judge decided. He also banned him from driving for six years.