Three years' jail for M2 attacker

A man who attacked his former girlfriend after the car they were in crashed off the M2 embankment has been jailed for three years.

Stephen McFarlane, 26, from Glenabbey Crescent, Newtownabbey, had throttled his ex-partner until she passed out, Belfast Crown Court was told.

He admitted attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent and false imprisonment on 26 November 2007.

An initial charge of trying to kill his ex-partner was left on the books.

On Tuesday, the second day of his trial, McFarlane also pleaded guilty to two other charges of inflicting actual bodily harm on 25 October.

On being sentenced, McFarlane agreed to a further year on probation.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Hart said McFarlane was a "selfish and self centred" man who appeared to show no regret for what he had done.

The judge said that during her evidence, McFarlane's former partner described how, on 25 October, he had punched and kicked her in front of her friends.

She said in November she had been sitting in the back seat of a car with the door half open and was about to get out when McFarlane sped off as she "shouted and screamed at him to let her go".

Motorway race

As he raced down the M2 towards Belfast, the car left the road and skidded 138 ft down an embankment.

When the car came to rest, he climbed into the back seat with a knife and although Miss Butler was able to disarm him, he strangled her until she lost consciousness and her next memory was waking to see the police and paramedics.

The judge said it was agreed that while McFarlane throttled his former partner until she passed out there was insufficient evidence to connect the knife to any intention he may have had.

From psychiatric and psychological reports written about McFarlane however, Mr Justice Hart said he "concentrates on his own position" and added that it was significant that he had shown no indication of remorse or regret.