Declan Fahey, from Croxdale, County Durham, deliberately rammed a 16-year-old with a lorry after his friend’s quad bike was stolen, leaving him with fractures to skull, face and thigh
A vigilante has been jailed for ramming a teenager with a lorry, after his friend’s quad bike was stolen.
Declan Fahey, from Croxdale, County Durham, took the law into his own hands and left a 16-year-old with multiple fractures to his face, skull and leg after his friend’s four-wheel bike disappeared the evening before.
Newcastle Crown Court was told the 27-year-old gave chase in his flatbed lorry before deliberately ramming the quad bike with the intention of causing serious injury. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, sustained multiple fractures, including to his skull, face and thigh bone.
Fahey denied causing GBH with intent but was found guilty by a jury and has since been handed a 42-month prison sentence, reports Chronicle Live.
Passing sentence, Recorder Richard Herrmann said: “Shortly before 1pm on March 5 last year on Redworth Road, Shildon, you deliberately drove a Mazda flatbed truck into a quad bike which was probably carrying four people, intending to cause really serious harm to one or more of them.
“Having been informed by your friend his quad bike had been stolen in the early hours of that morning, you and others went out looking for it. You found yourself stationary at a junction when the quad appeared.
“Your vehicle lurched forward, and as it accelerated forward you began your pursuit of the quad bike. I’ve seen the footage a number of times. In short, you pursued that quad bike, caught up with it and you then intentionally drove your large, heavy vehicle into collision with the quad bike.
“There were probably four riders on it, fully exposed as is the nature of vehicle of that type and clearly none of them wearing helmets. The collision sent the riders flying through the air – that can be seen graphically in the footage.
“You didn’t stop to give assistance to those you had caused to be violently thrown from the quad. The callous disregard you had for the riders of that quad bike is best demonstrated by the fact you drove off from the scene.”
The court was told that when questioned by officers, Fahey refused to accept responsibility for the injuries he caused, saying it was the rider’s “own fault”. When asked during the trial whether he had intended to hit the quad bike, he said no, adding: “I would not have wanted to have damaged my friend’s quad”.
Recorder Herrmann stated: “I’ve concluded that, rightly or wrongly, you believed those on the quad were responsible for its theft, so you decided that made them fair game, or that you would take the law into your own hands. I’m satisfied it was premeditated or revenge or a vigilante-type attack.”
Fahey, 27, who has no previous convictions, was found guilty after a trial of GBH with intent. He was jailed for 42 months and banned from driving for 57 months.
The court was told the teenager sustained multiple fractures to his skull, face and thigh, as well as possible bruising to his lung.
Chris Morrison, defending, said the attack was “based on a chance sighting” and noted that Fahey had reported the incident to police. Mr Morrison told the court the episode was out of character, adding: “He is a good man who has been convicted of doing a bad thing.”
He went on to say that Fahey has always been a diligent worker, and that character references paint him in a positive light. Mr Morrison said Fahey had “felt the clang of the gates” after being remanded in custody for the first time following his conviction, during which time he has shed three-and-a-half stone.