Co Tyrone motorist collecting Chinese takeaway lost control of car and struck school wall, court told
A motorist returning home from collecting a Chinese takeaway lost control of his car and struck a wall at the Royal School in Dungannon, the local magistrates court was told.
Nelson Junior, aged 42, from Bleachfield Park, Moygashel, was fined a total of £300 with a £15 offender’s levy and banned from driving for 12 months on charges of driving with excess alcohol in urine, failing to stop and failing to report a damage-only accident at Northland Row on October 5 last.
The court heard at 1.10am, police received a report of a single-vehicle accident and on arrival found a stationary black Jaguar car with significant frontal damage.
Prosecuting counsel said police were on their way to the defendant’s address as he was the last registered owner of the vehicle, when they met another vehicle which was registered to him and stopped it.
The lawyer said Junior was a passenger in the vehicle and when he complained of having chest pain, police took him to Craigavon Area Hospital.
At the hospital the defendant provided a urine specimen which showed an alcohol reading of 129 millilitres. The legal alcohol limit is 107 milligrams per 100 millilitres.
Counsel added that the defendant did not have a record.
A defence lawyer told the court Junior is a Portuguese national who has been living and working locally for almost 20 years, and has two children.
He explained that he had gone to collect a Chinese takeaway thinking he was fit to drive when in reality he was not fit to drive.
The lawyer said the defendant was not sure what happened, but thinks he may have been moving his vehicle out from parked cars and struck the wall.
He was being brought back to the scene by his wife and later admitted to hospital as a precaution.
Counsel described it as a unfortunate incident for a man who has hitherto a clear record both in Northern Ireland and Portugal.
He pleaded with the court to treat him as leniently as possible.
Imposing the penalties, District Judge Paul Copeland said the aggravating feature was that this appeared to be a hit-and-run type of offence, but he was satisfied the defendant was not seeking to evade detection.