..IN THE NEWS...IN THE NEWS


BANGOR CABBIEWHO DROVE AT PASSENGER AND BROKE HISWRIST AVOIDS JAIL


A taxi driver who deliberately drove at a passenger and broke his wrist when he refused to pay a fare has avoided jail. BBC News reports that William David McFarland, 57, was sentenced to 100 hours’ community service and two years’ probation last month. The judge said he had been “extremely tempted” to send jail him but did not as he will


“in-


evitably” lose his job. The defendant, from Bangor,


pleaded


guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Alan


McMullanwith intent. Judge Piers Grant warned him if he breached any as- pect of the court orders or reoffend- ed he would be “brought


inevitable back


immediately to this court and if you come before me it’s almost


that you will go to prison”. During sentencing, the judge recounted the facts surround- ing the offences and described how Mr McMullan had jump- ed to the front of the queue at a taxi rank in Bangor’s High Street and “pushed his way into” McFarland’s


WilliamMcFarland


car ahead of other people on 25 June 2017. “He was clearly intoxicated and his behaviour,


description, was extremely


in any poor,”


Judge Grant said. He added that when the car stopped close to Bangor


Football Club, Mr McMullan “declined to pay... he said he would only pay a small amount”. The court heard that when Mr McMullan walked off without paying anything, McFarland deliber- ately drove “directly at him”, breaking the victim’s wrist and causing bruising to his knees and lower back. Back atthe taxi rank, Mr McMullan confronted the de- fendant, saying “do you remember me”, but


McFarland


drove off. When he was arrest- ed and interviewed, McFarland denied


the incident and claimed he had been threatened by the victim. The judge described his behaviour as “absolutely


dis-


graceful” and added that, while there had been an argument, “it’s quite clear this was an unprovoked attack”. He said Mr McMullan was “to a large extent defenceless and certainly de- fenceless against a car”, which McFar- land had used “as a weapon”. McFarland entered his plea on the morning his trial was due to begin and also pleaded


guilty to dangerous driving, failing to remain after an acci- dent and failing to report an accident following the inci- dent. Imposing a five-year driving ban, in addi- tion to the enhanced combination order, the judge said McFarland’s situa- tion was “a dis- astrous set of cir- cumstances of your own making be- cause behaviour like this is simply and utterly unaccept- able”. In addition to the court order and driving ban, McFar- land was also fined £400.


OCTOBER 2018


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