Three children trapped under car in ‘horrendous incident’, court told

By Jonathan McCambridge (PA)

Three children who were playing on a footpath ended up trapped beneath a car during a “horrendous incident” in Belfast, a court has heard.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court also heard that a man accused of a number of motoring offences left the scene without checking on the children, climbed a fence and was discovered by police in a taxi.

Thomas Noel Maughan, 37, from Black Ridge Gardens in Belfast, appeared in the dock charged with driving with excess alcohol, causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop, failing to remain and failing to report where an accident occurred causing injury.

A PSNI constable told the court on Tuesday she could connect Maughan to the offences.

Following a defence application for bail, she told the court that shortly after 5pm on Sunday police had responded to a report of a collision in the Black Ridge View area of Belfast where a woman told them her two children and their friend were playing on the footpath when a car had reversed over them and the driver had made off and returned to another address.

The officer told the court that police had visited the address but the driver was not present.

She said the three children were taken to hospital suffering “potentially serious injuries”.

The constable told the court that police at the scene were notified by a member of the public that the suspected driver was in a taxi at the end of the street which was blocked by emergency service vehicles.

He was arrested at the scene.

The officer said: “There was clear CCTV of the incident which shows the defendant getting into the car, driving directly over the three children who are sat on the footpath.

“They are then trapped under his vehicle. The defendant reverses back over them, parking up his vehicle and returning to his address without checking on the welfare of the children.

“It then shows him jumping the back fence of the property immediately after the incident.”

The officer said Maughan had made full admissions during police interview to being the driver and to driving with excess alcohol.

She said: “Obviously, it is a horrendous incident.”

The officer said one of the victims had suffered a fractured pelvis.

Setting out police objections to bail, she said: “He was intoxicated through alcohol, but also the fact he has made off from the scene without checking the welfare (of the children), it could have been a much worse incident considering what happened.

“He showed a complete disregard for public safety while driving while intoxicated.”

She said police believed releasing him on bail would result in a risk to the public and to Maughan’s own safety.

A defence lawyer told the court that a young boy had been lying flat on the footpath and two girls were drawing around him with chalk.

He said his client had got into his car and driven a small distance forward and could not see the children.

He added: “He hears the screaming and immediately reverses.

“It is very clear, if he hadn’t reversed the vehicle that young boy would be dead today.”

The lawyer said that by reversing his car, Maughan had allowed the boy to get up.

Regarding the CCTV footage, he said: “It is awful footage, I have watched it. It is very difficult viewing.”

The lawyer said his client had left the scene because be believed his presence there was a distraction.

He said the issue in the case would be the standard of driving and whether it amounted to careless or dangerous.

The solicitor said Maughan’s family were in court.

The district judge said it was an “appalling set of facts” and refused bail.

Maughan will appear in court again on September 23.

The scene at Black Ridge View area, Three children injured after being struck by car while playing in in West Belfast PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN