Man allegedly caught with almost £400,000 ‘acting under duress’, court told
Newry Magistrates’ Court has been told that a man who was allegedly caught with around £400,000 following a 100mph police pursuit was “acting under duress”.
Forty-four-year-old Eoin Morrow, of no fixed abode, told officers he was “acting under duress” and “didn’t speak” when he was asked to elaborate.
Morrow appeared via videolink from police custody where he confirmed that he understood the five charges against him, namely dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, entering an arrangement to acquire criminal property, concealing and possessing criminal property, namely £400,000 in cash.
The offences are all alleged to have been committed on September 16.
A detective constable told the court that he believed he could connect Morrow to the charges.
District Judge Eamon King asked the officer for the background to the offences. The officer told the court that just before 5.30pm on Monday evening, police tried to stop a black Audi car on the A1 Dublin Road but the car “immediately sped off” and was weaving in an out of the heavy rush hour traffic, “forcing motorists to take evasive action.”
DC McDonald said that at one point, the pursuit reached speeds of 120 mph whole at another, while Morrow was driving at 90 mph, he had one hand on the steering wheel while the other threw a mobile phone out of the window.
With the Audi speeding towards the border with the south, the pursuit only came to an end when three police vehicles performed a “boxing in” movement.
Police were able to retrieve the mobile phone thrown from the car along with another phone from inside the Audi and the court heard how police also retrieved several bags stuffed with Bank of England notes from the vehicle.
DC McDonald said while it had not all be counted it, police estimated it was “in the upper echelons” of around £400,000.
Arrested and interviewed Morrow “did not speak” but his solicitor claimed he was “acting under duress,” an issue which Morrow continued to remain silent including when officers put to him that “the police could have helped him if he had stopped.”
As there was no application for bail, Judge King remanded Morrow into custody and adjourned the case to October 16.