Mechanic will get jail after joyriding in buyer’s car

A mechanic demonstrated “pure stupidity” when he took out a buyer’s car which had been left for repairs, Belfast Crown Court docket heard this month.

He drove the Nissan from the storage to a neighborhood purchasing centre, regardless of being banned from driving, and whereas there he shoplifted a set of leap leads.

The court docket was informed that 48-year-old Brian Emmerson, described as a “automobile addict”, has greater than 100 earlier convictions for motoring offences, of which 30 relate to disqualified driving.

And in December 2023, whereas he was employed at a storage in Belfast as a mechanic, he was caught on CCTV driving the client’s car. On the time he was not simply banned from driving however he was additionally serving a suspended jail sentence which had been imposed in March 2023 for different driving offences.

Police visited the storage the next day and arrested Emmerson, who pleaded responsible to driving while disqualified, taking a car with out authority, driving with no insurance coverage and theft, experiences Belfast Reside.

A pre-sentence report for the court docket described “automobiles being an habit in his life”. Emmerson, a father of two from Bryansford Place in Belfast, had additionally informed a probation officer that his actions on the day had been “pure stupidity”, the court docket heard.

Decide Gordon Kerr KC imposed a 28 month sentence for the 4 offences, to be served half in jail and half on licence. And he banned Emmerson from driving for 2 years.