Co Armagh chef caught drink driving after celebrating colleague's birthday after work, Craigavon court hears

Darren Kelly, aged 45, from Ballybeg Park, Tandragee, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court charged with driving with excess alcohol.

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The court heard that on December 8 last year, police were conducted a checkpoint on the Armagh Road, Portadown. At 9.15pm they stopped a Ford Focus driven by the defendant who failed a preliminary breath test.

At Lurgan Custody Suite a lower evidential breath test was 63 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitres of breath. The limit for alcohol in breath in NI is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Kelly’s lawyer said her client instructed that he had went out after work with colleagues ‘for a couple of drinks’ to celebrate a birthday, adding: “He left before the rest of the party and made the very silly decision to drive home.”

The lawyer said Kelly works as a chef in Armagh City Hotel.

“I understand this will impact on his ability to drive to and from work,” she said. "He did cooperate fully with police. This was where he was stopped at a routine checkpoint. It wasn't that he was pulled over because he was driving erratically.”

The lawyer gave District Judge Alan White a number of references including from the defendant’s employer.

The district judge banned Kelly from driving for 16 months and certified him suitable for the drink drivers’ course. He was also fined £300 plus the £15 offender levy.