Car body repair worker (46), who took his girlfriend 'for a spin' to Portadown in a client's car, was more than twice the drink drive limit, Craigavon court hears
A Co Armagh man took his girlfriend ‘out for a spin’ in a car he was carrying out work on for a customer and was more than twice the drink driving limit.
Phelim Gerard Madden, aged 46, from Whitesides Hill, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday charged with driving with excess alcohol and no insurance.
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On Monday, March 30, this year at around midnight police spotted a silver Saab driving up the Garvaghy Road, Portadown and into Alexander Avenue.
Police stopped the vehicle and checks showed the last registered owner was not the defendant.
Madden told police he was doing work on the car for the last registered owner.
When asked what he was doing out in the car, he told police he was "out for a spin and dropping his girlfriend off”.
During a search alcohol was smelt on his breath. An evidential breath test was 80 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitres of breath. The legal alcohol limit for drivers in NI is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
Madden’s solicitor Mr John McAtamney said his client is a divorced man who works on car body repairs and in receipt of Universal Credit.
Deputy District Judge Gerard Trainor said: “Unusually in this court, he has pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”
He said he would keep the driving disqualification “to the minimum” and banned Madden from driving for 12 months in relation to the driving with excess charge. In respect of the no insurance there was a concurrent six months ban. He was also fined £200 on each charge with 16 weeks to pay.