A 36-year-old North Belfast man has been sentenced to six years for causing the death of a pedestrian in the city centre last September.

John Taggart of Torrens Link pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol. At Laganside Crown Court on Friday, he was given a six-year sentence, with three years to be served in custody and three on licence. He was also disqualified from driving for seven years.

The collision occurred on Monday, 2 September 2024, at about 5.40pm. Taggart was driving a white Transit van on Millfield junction when he struck 70-year-old Paul Marshall, who was standing on a traffic island. Police said Taggart had moved from the outside lane to the inside lane at speed before mounting the island.

Mr Marshall suffered catastrophic injuries, including a skull fracture, and died in hospital six days later.

Taggart failed a roadside breath test and later provided an evidential reading of 95 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly three times the legal limit.

Constable Miller-Devlin of the PSNI’s Collision Investigation Unit said the investigation found Taggart had made a left turn from the outside lane to the inside lane at speed before mounting the traffic island. He was arrested after failing a preliminary breath test and later provided a reading of 95 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath, she added.