'Sore feet' led to theft of car

A car thief told police he stole a vehicle because his legs and feet were sore and he wanted to drive home instead of walking, a court has heard.

Joseph Emmanuel McDonnell, 20, from New Lodge Road in Belfast, was arrested last June after the stolen car he was driving collided with a police vehicle.

As well as telling police his feet were sore, McDonnell also said he had drunk eight bottles of beer and was "tipsy".

He was sentenced to two years in a young offenders' centre.

The judge at Belfast Crown Court also placed him on 12 months' post-custodial supervision and banned him from driving for five years.

Crown prosecutor Fiona O'Kane said police were called to Carlisle Road in north Belfast after receiving reports of a group of males around a car.

The Vauxhall Corsa had been seen travelling in the direction of New Lodge Road and being driven in an "erratic manner" at Hillman Street.

The Corsa, driven by McDonnell, collided with a police vehicle before mounting a kerb. He then tried to drive the car up a pedestrian alleyway but it was blocked in by a police vehicle and McDonnell was arrested.

A defence barrister told the court his client "gave a candid account" of the incident to officers when apprehended.

He also said McDonnell had "wised up" since his arrest, adding: "He wants to do his time, get out and get a job."