A hijacker who threatened to slash a driver’s throat with a Stanley knife before taking his car in West Belfast has been jailed.

Judge Sandra Crawford told Roy Irvine he would spend half of the 42-month sentence in custody and the rest on supervised licence.

Irvine (28), of Whitecliff Parade in west Belfast, previously pleaded guilty to carjacking, burglary and driving without insurance.

Belfast Crown Court heard that on the morning of December 27, 2022, Irvine took control of a Citroen C3 after breaking into a nearby house to steal Christmas presents and up to £2,000 in cash.

The owner of the Citroen was targeted in the prosecution file as he parked outside a convenience store on Cavendish Street.

Irvine approached the victim and said: “Stop crying and get out of the car now or I will cut your throat. I have a Stanley knife on me.”

The defendant left with the car, colliding with another parked car on the way out.

The court heard that a short time later the Citroen was abandoned in Moyard Park after crashing into a wall.

Irvine is also accused of stealing aftershave, perfume, an iPad and money from a house on Crocus Street that morning. He went into the house and rummaged through bags of Christmas presents and threw them away when he got to the Vivo store.

The burglar told police gift bags and cards containing between £1,500 and £2,000 in cash were taken.

Irvine was linked to the offenses through CCTV footage from near the shop and an eyewitness account at the scene of the crash.

Defense barrister Paul Burns told the court: “He fully accepts responsibility. It’s pretty clear that morning that he was under the influence and acting erratically.”

He added that there was no pre-planning and his client acted “in a haphazard manner” and would always be caught because of the CCTV in the shop area.

Mr Burns also spoke about his client’s difficulties from an early age and suffering tragedies, including the death of his mother at the age of 13, which led to mental health problems.

A pre-sentence report prepared by the Probation Service assessed Irvine as having a high likelihood of re-offending but said he did not pose a danger to the public in the future.

Irvine told a probation officer he wanted to apologize to the victims. Judge Crawford also imposed a consecutive six-month prison sentence because Irvine was in breach of a suspended sentence at the time of the hijacking.