A Lithuanian man has been released on bail after appearing in court charged with causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving in Portadown.

Audris Gibronas, 36 and from Panevezys, is alleged to have driven a Mercedes van that collided head-on with a Range Rover Discovery on the Northway on 23 December 2025. Both drivers were taken to hospital with serious injuries, and both vehicles sustained significant damage.

The court heard Mr Gibronas had been disqualified from driving three days earlier, on 20 December 2025, following a drink-driving offence. A defence lawyer argued that video footage showed the van swerving into oncoming traffic, which they linked to a possible mechanical defect. The lawyer stated there was no suggestion of alcohol in relation to this collision.

Mr Gibronas, who was in Northern Ireland on holiday at the time, appeared via video link from prison where he had been held since December. District Judge Michael Ranaghan noted he had served the equivalent of a ten-month sentence on remand. The defendant was granted £300 bail with an address in Hull, on condition he surrenders his passport, does not consume alcohol, and is not allowed to drive or sit in the front passenger seat of any vehicle. The court was told that Mr Gibronas believed his driving ban had lapsed and that, under Lithuanian law, the van was insured because insurance covers the vehicle rather than the individual.

The case was sent to Craigavon Crown Court for arraignment on 10 September.