Northern Ireland

West Belfast mum's fear after stolen car crashes into garden wall

The car was stolen in the Mountcollyer Avenue area of north Belfast
The car was stolen in the Mountcollyer Avenue area of north Belfast The car was stolen in the Mountcollyer Avenue area of north Belfast

A MOTHER said yesterday she feels lucky to be alive after a stolen car smashed into her front garden wall in west Belfast.

Lisa Warnock, who said her ex-partner was killed by so-called joyriders in 1999, said she no longer feels safe in her home.

A black Vauxhall Mokka ploughed into the perimeter wall on Conway Street shortly after 3am on Sunday, scattering bricks and damaging railings.

It was stolen in the Mountcollyer Avenue area of north Belfast on Saturday sometime after 10pm.

A male youth dressed in a grey tracksuit was spotted leaving the scene of the crash.

Ms Warnock (48) described the incident as "horrific", saying: "It scared the life clean out of me.

"I could hear the car coming down the street, and then bang. It just brought it all back to me. My wee boy's father, he was killed by joyriders," she told the BBC.

"To see the damage, it was terrible. It just brought it all back to me. I was just stunned, I couldn't do nothing.

"To think these people are still on these streets doing this is terrible."

She added: "It's sickening. To be sitting in your own home and to have this happen to you.

"There is no fun in death driving. This is twice this has happened me."

Police described the car theft as a "creeper-style burglary" and appealed for anyone with information to contact them.