Bendooragh woman fined for railway crossing offence

A BENDOORAGH woman has been fined £100 for driving across the railway crossing beside Coleraine Train Station after the start of a warning of the approach of a train.

24-year-old Sharon Stirling of Edenmore Crescent also had to pay costs of 89.

North Antrim Magistrates Court in Coleraine was told on Friday the offence was committed on April 24 this year.

A prosecutor said the crossing keeper saw a silver Corsa car come from the Union Street direction and it did not stop at the crossing even though lights were flashing and alarms sounding and the first set of crossing arms was starting to lower.

The prosecutor said the car drove on up Ballycastle Road without stopping..

When spoken to by police the defendant said she thought she had checked the lights and said she only heard the warning siren after she crossed.

She pleaded guilty to the offence and a defence solicitor said it was a “momentary lack of judgement” and said there was no danger to anyone.

District Judge Richard Wilson said there could have been a train coming.

He added: “You would have come off second best if you had collided with a train.”