A former police informant, Tony O'Doherty, was jailed for 12 years last night for the burglary of a Co Antrim businessman's home nearly two years ago. O'Doherty (48) was caught after police recognised his voice from a taped 999 emergency call for an ambulance he had made for his victim, who he thought was about to die.
A Belfast Crown Court judge, Mr David Smyth, told O'Doherty that but for making the call out of "fear or common humanity or both", he would have jailed him for 15 years.
The jury unanimously convicted O'Doherty, from Clarence Street, Ballymena, of the December 1995 burglary and of causing his victim grievous bodily harm.