Court told how man accused of being on the run for seven years has at least eight different aliases

A man who allegedly went on the run seven years ago while accused of motoring offences has at least eight different aliases, the High Court heard today.

Felix Nolan was arrested in Paris last month and extradited back to Northern Ireland on charges connected to a police vehicle being rammed by a stolen car.

The 34-year-old, of Collingwood Avenue in Belfast, faces counts of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop or remain at the scene of an accident, and aggravated vehicle taking.

Prosecutors said the case relates to a burglary in the city back in November 2015 where the keys to a high-performance Audi were taken.

The stolen car later rammed a PSNI vehicle in Doagh, Co Antrim before being driven off at speed.

Nolan was subsequently arrested at Mallusk Road in Newtownabbey on suspicion of involvement in the earlier incident.

He denied the offences and claimed that he had been staying in a nearby hotel.

Nolan was initially granted bail after surrendering his passport, the court heard, but in March 2016 he was not present when police went to search his address in connection with an investigation into other burglaries.

With a European Arrest Warrant issued, he was eventually detained at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris on November 10 this year.

Crown lawyer Adrian Higgins claimed Nolan went on the run using a freshly issued passport and has links to Germany, Belgium and England.

“He has no fewer than eight aliases,” the prosecutor said.

Opposing bail, Mr Higgins contended: “He has already absented himself from this jurisdiction for a period of (seven) years.”

A defence barrister said Nolan left Northern Ireland and moved to Germany after a relationship with a woman led to him coming under paramilitary threat.

Lord Justice Horner was also told that he denies the charges and has not been connected to footprints found at the scene of the burglary.

Refusing bail, however, the judge ruled: “Given the past history and previous flight, I’m not satisfied that I could impose conditions that would manage the risk of the applicant not turning up for trial.”