Jail Term For Bizarre High Speed Drive Attack

A Newtownabbey man was last night beginning a jail sentence for a bizarre attack on a former girlfriend.

During the trial of Stephen McFarlane, 26, from Glenabbey Crescent, the court heard how he had throttled his ex-partner until she passed out.

Belfast Crown Court was told that he partially strangling his ex-girlfriend after driving them off a motorway embankment.

McFarlane was jailed for three years after he admitted attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent and false imprisonment on 26 November 2007.

An initial charge of trying to kill his ex-partner was 'left on the books'.

Yesterday, on the second day of his trial, McFarlane also pleaded guilty to two other charges of inflicting actual bodily harm on 25 October.

On being sentenced, McFarlane agreed to a further 12 months on probation.

McFarlane's former partner described how, on 25 October, he had punched and kicked her in front of her friends.

She said that in November she had been sitting in the back seat of a car with the door half open and was about to get out when McFarlane sped off as she "shouted and screamed at him to let her go".

As he raced down the M2 towards Belfast, the car left the road and skidded 138 ft down an embankment.

When the car came to rest, he climbed into the back seat with a knife and although the gril was able to disarm him, he strangled her until she lost consciousness and her next memory was waking to see the police and paramedics.

(BMcC)