A death driver who killed a schoolgirl in a stolen car over two decades ago in Belfast has been jailed again, this time for six months for driving whilst banned.
Henry ‘Harry’ Marley, whose criminal record was described by the judge as one of the worst he had ever seen, pleaded guilty to four counts of driving whilst disqualified and having no insurance.
Prosecution barrister Kate McKay told Belfast Crown Court that Marley had been “banned from driving for life for causing the death of a young girl by dangerous driving in 2002”.
Debbie McComb (15), was hit by a stolen car driven by Marley as she crossed the Springfield Road in March 2002. The high-profile case led to the foundation of campaign group Families Bereaved Through Car Crime.
Marley was jailed the following year for nine years and his conviction was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The court heard that on November 29, 2021, Marley (41), of Tollgate House, Bradbury Place in south Belfast, was driving a Volkswagen Golf on the Boucher Road in south Belfast and tried to evade a police checkpoint but was eventually stopped and spoken to
by officers. Checks revealed he was a banned driver and had no insurance.
On May 25, 2022, Ms McKay said police on patrol on the Ormeau Road in south Belfast observed a Skoda car not adhering to the 30mph speed limit and tried to stop the car but pulled out of a pursuit on nearby University Street for public safety reasons.
At 12.45am the next morning, Marley and his girlfriend were seen leaving his Bradbury Place flat and driving off before being stopped by police for driving whilst banned and having no insurance. His girlfriend was given a fixed penalty notice for
allowing Marley to drive her car without insurance.
Prosecutor Philip Henry said that on June 15, 2022, police stopped Marley on Stockman’s Lane in south Belfast while driving a Volkswagen Passat car.
Police checks also revealed that Marley was a disqualified driver and had been banned for life.
Mr Henry described Marley’s criminal record as “atrocious”.
Despite being banned, Marley was detected behind the wheel of a car at 5.25pm on the Knock Road in east Belfast on November 26, 2022.
Ms McKay said Marley had “probably one of the worst records” to come before the court, but said she did not believe any sentence handed down would deter the defendant from reoffending in the future.
Defence barrister Declan Quinn said Marley has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also suffered from anxiety and depression.
Since the 2003 death-by-dangerous-driving conviction, Marley, he said, felt “under perceived constant threat and at times used his own transport instead of public transport”.
He urged the court not to imprison the defendant immediately but instead impose a community-based order to help him receive the assistance of the Probation Service.
Judge Paul Ramsey KC described Marley’s criminal record as “dreadful… probably the worst I have seen” and said the defendant had been caught on four separate occasions driving whilst disqualified and having no insurance.
He added that Marley had also been in breach of a suspended sentence at the time of his offending.
Imposing a sentence of 30 months, Judge Ramsey said Marley would spend six months in custody followed by 24 months on supervised licence upon his release from prison.
He also imposed a mandatory two-year disqualification period from driving.
As he was being led away in handcuffs to the courthouse cells by prison staff, Marley said to Judge Ramsey: “Thank you very much.”
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/courts/car-death-joyrider-with-probably-one-of-the-worst-records-sent-back-to-jail-for-driving-while-disqualified/a1337672702.html
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