A Belfast car mechanic with a history of driving while disqualified has been jailed for 30 months for theft and driving offences. Brian Emerson, 48, pleaded guilty to taking a customer’s van without authority, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, and theft.
The incident occurred in December 2023 when Emerson, employed at a local garage, drove a customer’s Nissan van to a nearby shopping centre and stole a set of jump leads.
This was not an isolated incident. Emerson has a lengthy criminal record, including over 100 previous motoring offences, with 30 convictions for driving while disqualified.
Judge Gordon Kerr KC emphasised the seriousness of Emerson’s actions, stating that he had “reached the stage where he has to be told in no uncertain terms that he can no longer consider himself above the driving laws in this country.”
This sentence also included an additional two months imprisonment due to a previous suspended sentence for driving offences.
Source: Belfast Live
