A car mechanic who has 30 convictions for driving while disqualified was jailed today for theft and motoring offences.
Brian Emerson, who Belfast Crown Court heard was a car addict, had a 28-month sentence imposed for four offences committed in December 2023. This term was divided equally between prison and licence by Judge Gordon Kerr KC, who also disqualified the father-of-two from driving for two years.
From Bryansford Place in Belfast, 48-year old Emmerson pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified, taking a vehicle without authority, driving with no insurance and theft.
The court heard that on December 14 last year, a male left his Nissan van into a car repair shop in the east of the city to have a new drive shaft fitted.
At around 1pm Emmerson, who was employed in the garage, was captured on CCTV driving the van into Connswater Shopping Centre. He and another male got out of the van and walked into Lidl, where they stole a set of jump leads. Following the theft, the pair got back into the van.
The following day, police attended the garage, Emmerson was identified as the driver on the CCTV and he admitted all four offences. He has over 100 previous convictions for motoring offences, 30 of which are for driving whilst disqualified.
Defence submissions made on behalf of Emmerson included a pre-sentence report that set out a lack of issues with alcohol and drugs but which spoke of "cars being an addiction in his life". Emmerson also described his actions on the day in question to a Probation Officer as "pure stupidity".
Judge Kerr said: "This is an appalling case in terms of his driving and his lack of regard to the provisions of the legislation which has disqualified him on numerous occasions.
"This is a case, in my view, where we have reached the stage where this defendant has to be told in no uncertain terms that he can no longer consider himself above the driving laws in this country and because of that an immediate custodial sentence will be necessary."
On the date of his offending, Emmerson was under a suspended sentence which had been imposed at Belfast Magistrate's Court in March 2023 for previous driving offences.
Due to this, Judge Kerr added an additional two months onto the 28-month sentence imposed for the offences Emmerson committed last December.
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