Man in court over incidents linked to officer being hit by stolen police car in Downpatrick

A man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged in relation to a spate of driving incidents that saw an officer struck by a stolen police car.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the officer involved suffered serious injuries following the incident in Downpatrick during the early hours of Sunday morning.

The suspect's court appearance came as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned what he described as a "horrific incident" and said his thoughts were with the officer injured.

Kieran Turley, 27, appeared before Downpatrick Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and using a motor vehicle with no insurance.

District judge Peter Magill refused his application for bail and remanded him in custody to appear before court again later in June.

Prior to his appearance in the dock, police had bailed Turley in respect of two other alleged offences - driving while unfit and aggravated vehicle taking causing injury - to allow more time for officers to investigate.

While in police custody, he had also been questioned about the attempted murder of the police officer and several other driving offences.

However, he was released unconditionally in respect of those specific offences.

PSNI subsequently arrested another man on suspicion of the attempted murder of the officer.

The 36-year-old remained in police custody on Monday being questioning in relation to that, along with aggravated vehicle taking causing injury.

A 27-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and failing to stop for police.

What happened in the incident?

The incidents unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning when a blue Volkswagen Jetta reportedly failed to stop for officers on several occasions in the town.

The car was later located in the Ballymote Walk area and officers on foot pursued a man observed exiting the vehicle in the direction of Colmcille Road.

As officers involved in this chase returned to their PSNI vehicle, they observed someone in the driver's seat.

Police said the individual drove erratically and directly towards one of the officers.

The officer discharged one round from his firearm before he was struck by the stolen police car.

The vehicle was abandoned a short time later and the suspect fled the scene.

Monday's court hearing did not focus on the incident involving the officer being struck by the police vehicle and rather the offences linked to the driving of the Jetta car that initiated the initial police pursuit.

Turley spoke briefly at the outset of the hearing to confirm he understood the charges he faced, while a PSNI detective constable told the court he could connect the accused to the charges.

The court heard the Jetta reportedly failed to stop for officers on a number of occasions in Downpatrick, the first at around 4.45am on Sunday.

On one occasion, the vehicle was said to have stopped and a rear seat passenger exited and threw a bottle at police.

The car was then said to have sped off before coming to a stop again, when a passenger, who appeared to be holding a bottle of alcohol, exited and signalled in an apparently confrontational way for police to approach.

The car then took off again at speed.

"Police described the driving as dangerous, weaving across both lanes of traffic, hitting the grass verge," Judge Magill said.

The court heard that when the car was found at 5.30am in Ballymote Walk, CCTV showed the driver was wearing a red coloured top. Officers pursued a man wearing a red top from the scene but lost sight of him.

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Applying for bail, a legal representative for Turley stated no one had actually seen Turley driving the vehicle. He said police were also investigating whether a female had been driving the Jetta.

"So, the police aren't really sure who's driving the vehicle," he said.

The detective constable said Turley was facing charges because he had allegedly been observed exiting the driver's door and was found in possession of the Jetta's keys.

The accused's lawyer, however, told the court more than one person exited via the driver's door.

He said the circumstances of the incidents remained "very confusing" and argued that Turley should be given the "benefit of the doubt" and be released on bail.

The judge rejected the bail application and remanded Turley in custody to appear before court again on 25 June.

On Monday morning, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "Violence against police officers is wholly unacceptable and will never be tolerated.

"My thoughts are with the officer who was injured, his loved ones and colleagues across the Police Service of Northern Ireland, who continue to serve with bravery in challenging circumstances.

"This was a horrific incident. Those who wear the uniform do so to protect the public and uphold the law and any attack on them is an attack on the safety of our communities."

(c) Sky News 2026: Man in court over incidents linked to officer being hit by stolen police car in Downpatrick