Disqualified driver warned by Lisburn judge he is ‘so close to going to prison’
A judge has warned a disqualified driver he is “so close to going to prison” after he was stopped by police driving on the Hillsborough Road in Lisburn.
The defendant appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court charged with driving whilst disqualified and having no insurance.
The court heard that on October 16, 2025 at 6.10pm, police observed a Mercedes being driven on the Hillsborough Road in Lisburn.
Officers signalled for the vehicle to stop and it was ascertained that the driver had been disqualified from driving at Newtownards Magistrates Court on March 27, 2025 for one year.
The defendant, Ryan Peter Fitzpatrick (28), whose address was given as Quaker Green in Rathfriland, confirmed that he knew about the disqualification and that he wasn’t insured to drive.
A defence lawyer told the court the defendant had “cooperated from the very outset when approached by the police”.
The defence lawyer acknowledged: “He has a very bad driving record.
"He appreciates this is his very last chance in terms of motoring offending.”
District Judge Rosie Watters stated: “I really should send him to prison.”
However, on the basis of his plea and the way in which he dealt with the matter, Ms Watters said she would not send Fitzpatrick to prison.
She imposed a custodial sentence of five months, suspended for two years.
"You are so close to going to prison,” she warned the defendant. "You really have to get your life in order and sort yourself out.
"If you are back in front of me you will definitely be going to prison.”
Ms Watters also disqualified the defendant from driving for two years on each of the charges.