Hijacker jailed for fatal crash

Page was jailed for eight years by the judge

A man who killed his friend when he crashed a hijacked car into a police Land Rover has been jailed for eight years.

Belfast Crown Court heard that Mark Page, 21, of Avoca Street in the city, hijacked his father's car at knifepoint on 11 July 2006.

He later hijacked another car from a woman before crashing into a police Land Rover.

His friend, Darryl Faulkner, died in the crash.

The court heard that police followed Page across north Belfast on 11 July in a four hour chase, where he almost knocked down a pedestrian, drove through junctions and red lights and managed to avoid a police trap on Glengormley's Upper Hightown Road.

He then crashed into the police Land Rover, killing Mr Faulkner, who was a front seat passenger in the car.

Released on bail, Page again stole his father's car in October 2007 and led police in a high speed pursuit in north Belfast before he drove into a cul-de-sac and was arrested.

Page, pleaded guilty to two counts of hijacking, causing death by dangerous driving, three charges of dangerous driving, one of stealing a car, driving without insurance, making off without payment and failing to provide a specimen.

Handing down an eight year term, after Page agreed to spend a further year on probation, Judge Tom Burgess said the loss of a young man's life was a tragedy and that his driving had been "atrocious...as bad as this court has come across in all the years I have sat on the bench".

Page was also banned from driving for 15 years.