Suspended sentence for man who threw water jug in court

10:49am Wednesday 4th June 2008

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A man has been given a one-month suspended sentence after he threw a glass water jug across a Croydon court room at the drunk-driver who mowed down and killed his sister.

Stephen McGoldrick became incensed when a Crown Court judge sentenced the defendant to a maximum of four years behind bars. He launched the jug across the court room, narrowly missing the defendant's solicitor.

Paul Clements, 28, an insurance agent of Perth Road in Beckenham, had earlier pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and prosecutor Nicholas Measure said he had been speeding at an estimated 53mph.

Alcohol tests at the police station showed he was more than twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Mr McGoldrick's sister, Cheryl, a 26-year-old a mum-of-two, was on a night out when she was hit crossing a road at a junction. She was unable to get out the way of the car in time.

Clements was handed a driving ban that will last for five years and was ordered to take an extended test before being allowed to get behind the wheel of a car again.

Judge Warwick McKinnon told Clements: "You literally mowed her down. You must have known you were unfit to drive. This was utter criminal culpability."