Hit-and-run death accused bragged of 18 years without driving licence, and had been drinking in two pubs before crash that killed boy, 12, court hears

Prosecutors claimed Peter Milligan, 51, bragged in a bar that he had no permit just days before he knocked down Lucas Trainor in Portaferry, Co Down.

The 12-year-old victim was struck by a Skoda Fabia while riding a scooter in the town’s Strand area on July 8 this year.

Milligan, of Ashmount Park in Portaferry, admitted driving the car and told police he had been drinking in two pubs on the night of the fatal accident.

Refusing his application for bail, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan ruled that he poses a high risk of reoffending.

Milligan faces a total of 11 charges, including causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop or remain at an accident, and driving without insurance or a licence.

The court heard Lucas was discovered at the scene and taken to hospital, but died later despite medical intervention.

Post-mortem examinations established he had sustained traumatic head injuries in the collision.

Witnesses reported seeing the Skoda Fabia driving at speed, hitting the boy and then leaving the area.

Fifteen minutes later police received a second report that the car had been abandoned after striking the wall of a property four miles away.

With Milligan identified as the registered owner of the vehicle, officers located him in the early hours of the following morning less than half a mile from where it was left.

He refused to take part in a preliminary breath test before being taken to hospital for treatment to a fractured foot.

Prosecution counsel Sarah Minford said detectives have obtained CCTV evidence of him downing pints of beer in a Portaferry bar earlier on the night Lucas was knocked down.

Further footage depicted the Skoda travelling at speed through the town, almost striking a pedestrian and then colliding with the schoolboy.

During interviews Milligan made full admissions to causing the boy’s death by his driving and to being under the influence of alcohol.

“He stated he had been drinking in two bars, one in Strangford and one in Portaferry,” Ms Minford told the court.

Milligan claimed he was given a lift home by a friend and checked on his mother before getting into his car to “go for a spin”.

According to his account, he panicked and drove on following the fatal collision without knowing what he had hit.

He also confirmed he had no valid licence or MOT for his car.

Counsel said that as police read the charges to Milligan he told them: “I am so sorry for the death of Lucas, please give my condolences to his poor mother and father, I will regret this until the day I die’.”

Opposing bail, Ms Minford revealed the defendant should have retaken his driving test following a previous ban in 2007.

“It appears he never bothered to do so,” she submitted.

“A witness states he was bragging in a bar on July 5, (less than a week) before the incident, that he hadn’t had a licence for 18 years yet he continued to drive throughout this time.

“It seemed to be something he took great pleasure in and was proud of.”

Questioning how Milligan could have avoided sitting a test following disqualification, the lady chief justice said: “I do not understand how somebody remains undetected without a licence for 18 years. Does nobody chase that?”

Ms Minsford claimed it represented a further risk in releasing the defendant.

“He has continued this absolutely abhorrent pattern of driving without any regard for the road, its users or the law,” she insisted.

Concerns for Milligan’s own safety were also raised, based on tensions and ill-feeling towards him within the local community.

Members of the victim’s family could be retraumatised by any chance encounters with the defendant, it was contended.

Milligan’s barrister confirmed he accepted being behind the wheel of the Skoda during both collisions.

He claimed to have gone out driving to clear his head amid the pressures of caring for his mother who suffers from advanced dementia.

Denying bail in what she described as a tragic case, Dame Siobhan held: “The risk of reoffending in this case is extremely high.”