Bridal hairdresser caught speeding on way back from the North West 200
A court has been told police estimated a road user hit a speed "up to 120mph" on the way home from the North West 200 but she said she was "doing 90mph".
Elizabeth Donaldson, aged 31, of Gransha Road near Dromara, pleaded guilty to exceeding a 70mph speed limit.
A prosecutor told an earlier court an "officer followed the vehicle up to speeds of 120mph".
And at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday, March 12, a prosecutor said that at 9.50pm on Thursday, May 8, 2025, police were monitoring traffic during the North West 200.
The court heard a "motorbike" was "behind a Jetta" on the "motorway north of Ballymena". Police were then on the Lisnevenagh Road dual-carriageway between Ballymena and Antrim town "and they observe the Jetta more clearly".
The prosecutor added: "They note the vehicle to be travelling at excess speed. The police vehicle was travelling at approximately 70mph and the vehicle then continued to pull away from them.
"There was obviously a dispute in relation to the exact speed because there was no calibrated speedometer at that point. The defendant is then stopped and the police speak with her.
"She states that she has been doing 90mph when police speak with her. The speed limit is 70."
The defendant had no record.
A defence lawyer said the defendant made admissions at the side of the road and a guilty plea was entered to exceeding 70mph but "the only dispute was the discrepancy between what the defendant said was the speed she was doing and what the officer said. She is accepting going 90mph".
He added: "She was at the North West. She was heading home on the motorway. It was late at night. The motorway wasn't overly busy despite the fact that everyone was heading home from the North West".
The lawyer said the defendant is a bridal hairdresser and as she lives in a rural part of Co Down she requires a driving licence.
He said she is "booked up" with appointments until 2027.
The defendant had three penalty points already on her licence and the lawyer appealed for the judge not to ban her from the roads.
Deputy District Judge Noel Dunlop handed down four penalty points and a fine of £350.
He told the defendant to "slow down in future".