A man has recently been charged with carrying out a hit and run collision at a bonfire evening in Ireland
. He has stated that his actions were in response to threats made towards his safety. He apparently feared that a gang attacking his car were out to murder him. The incident occurred in a village just outside of Belfast.
The man accused of committing the crime will now answer to a number of motoring offences he has supposedly committed. These offences include causing grievous bodily harm by dangerous driving, driving without insurance and failing to stop at the scene of an accident. He already stands accused of committing the following motoring offences; taking a car without consent, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified
It has been reported that seven people (two of which were children) have been injured due to the car hitting a group of people in the small village.
An officer has also claimed that he would connect the man to several other driving offences if necessary. The same officer also discussed how one female bystander had to jump over a wall in order to escape being hit when the man was reversing.
The defendant's plea of innocence stated that he was driving due to his pregnant partner experiencing pains. He claimed that he believed that the angry mob surrounding the car would have murdered or seriously injured him had they been able to get to him. He therefore concluded that he did not have any choice in taking his car and driving.
The man in question is also said to have denied the charge that he was driving dangerously. He was denied bail, despite his plea of innocence, as the general opinion was that if he were to reoffend he would be a big danger to the public. The man has now been remanded in public and will appear in court in the next month again, over video link.