Driver in Lisa Gow case failed to return to jail on time

Career criminal Martin Alexander Nelson, who last month ploughed into mum-of-two Lisa Gow in a stolen car, killing her outright, was given a consecutive six-month sentence for 'being unlawfully at large' on Thursday.
Pacemaker Press 20/04/2018
Lisa Gow who died  after the fatal Road death on the Ballysillan Road in North Belfast.
Martin  Nelson of Ardoyne Road faces 11 charges, including burglary and driving while disqualified.
The incident happened on the Ballysillan Road on Thursday morning. It is believed the woman was in her 30s and had two young children.
Pic PacemakerPacemaker Press 20/04/2018
Lisa Gow who died  after the fatal Road death on the Ballysillan Road in North Belfast.
Martin  Nelson of Ardoyne Road faces 11 charges, including burglary and driving while disqualified.
The incident happened on the Ballysillan Road on Thursday morning. It is believed the woman was in her 30s and had two young children.
Pic Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 20/04/2018 Lisa Gow who died after the fatal Road death on the Ballysillan Road in North Belfast. Martin Nelson of Ardoyne Road faces 11 charges, including burglary and driving while disqualified. The incident happened on the Ballysillan Road on Thursday morning. It is believed the woman was in her 30s and had two young children. Pic Pacemaker

The 39-year-old from Ardoyne Road, in north Belfast with 238 previous convictions, who has admitted causing her death by dangerous driving, had, just days earlier, had his bail varied over his failure to return to jail and for resisting a constable.

Nelson was being pursued by police on the Ballysillan Road in the Audi A4 car he’d stolen the night before, when he struck another car before hitting the young mum, who’d just dropped off her two children Olivia (8) and Riley (5) at school on April 19 last.

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No details of the fatal accident were given to Belfast Crown Court, save that Nelson was already in custody on remand in respect of another event. However, Nelson’s solicitor Pearse McDermott said later that his client’s admissions were a matter of record.

Earlier prosecution lawyer Simon Jenkins told Recorder Judge David McFarland that Nelson had been previously given a 15-month jail term, to be followed by 27 months on licenced parole, for burglary and driving offences.

In late October 2017 he was given temporary leave from Milligan prison, but failed to return at the appointed time. Police later contacted him by mobile phone only to be told he was with his girlfriend and would return to prison the following day.

Mr Jenkins said Nelson again failed to return to jail, but was later traced to his parents’ home where he detained. However, it was while being arrested that he resisted police, added Mr Jenkins.

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Defence barrister Luke Curran said Nelson had been at large for 36 hours and 50 minutes for which he had already paid a heavy penalty within the prison system, including the loss of further release days. He had also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Judge McFarland told Nelson that he had a very bad criminal record, which was an aggravating factor in his case, although he was only at large for a relatively short period of time.

However, the Recorder said there was a need in his case for “deterrent and meaningful sentence” for his failure to return to jail. He said the public had concerns on how the system of prison release worked and it was important for prisoners adhere to conditions and return when required.

Nelson’s failure he added could also have an impact on other prisoners and their temporary release and it was important to have a system that worked properly and prisoners who abused the system have to expect meaningful and deterrent sentences.

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