Norman Parke leaving Coleraine Magistrates Court
Norman Parke spared jail sentence, allowed to chase dream of becoming next Conor McGregor
Photo above – Norman Parke leaving Coleraine Magistrates Court
Norman Parke avoid jail time
Former UFC competitor Norman Parke (23-6-1) was spared from a jail sentence yesterday by District Judge Liam McNally. Parke was in court yesterday in connection with a number of driving matters and being disorderly.
“If you appear before me again for any insurance offence or driving while disqualified then I will impose immediate custody”.
Instead of jail time for a fourth infraction, Judge McNally offered Parke a shot to chase his dreams of “becoming the next Conor McGregor.”
How it went down
According to a report from the Belfast Telegraph, “A prosecutor said at 1.20am on June 6 last year, police received a report of a fight outside the Anchor Bar in Portstewart and a woman said she saw two males making off in a Suzuki vehicle.
“Parke later told police he and his cousin had been out and that he had taken “a few drinks” and there had been an altercation.
“The prosecuting lawyer said Parke had a learner driving licence and had not obtained the permission of the owner of the vehicle – his grandmother – to drive it. He was also uninsured.
Defence solicitor Denise Gillan said her client missed a previous court hearing because he was “engaged in other activities”.
Referring to the night in question, she said Parke and his cousin were at a nightclub and there was an altercation.
“She said it appeared it started between two groups of women and Parke’s cousin then became “embroiled with” the boyfriend of one of the women.
“Added Ms Gillan: ‘My client was trying to get him away from the melee. Having said that, he accepts there were words exchanged’.
She said Parke had travelled in his grandmother’s car and had intended to keep it parked overnight in Portstewart but he “wanted to get the cousin off-side” after drinking what, she claimed, was two and half pints.
Conor McGregor saves the day
“The solicitor said the defendant had a record and got into trouble in Bushmills as a teenager, before turning to mixed martial arts. She said there had been much publicity recently about McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, adding that her client was in the world rankings and ‘probably the top contender in Northern Ireland’.
“Gillan said Parke has a title fight coming up in Dublin.
“She said he had “made something of his life” and was well-thought of in his profession.
“The judge said he normally imposes suspended sentences on people with a fourth insurance conviction and that would mean he ‘wouldn’t be following in Mr McGregor’s footsteps and be fighting in Las Vegas because he wouldn’t get in (to the US)’.”
