Driving ban for motorist who failed to stop for police in Ballymena during period of disorder
A motorist who failed to comply with the directions of a police officer in Ballymena during a week when there had been disorder in the town has been banned from driving and fined.
Richard Wilson Adams (41), of Beechvale, Broughshane, also admitted failing to stop for police and driving without due care and attention in he Henry Street area on the evening of June 12 last year.
A prosecutor told Ballymena Magistrates Court police were performing "public order duties" when a Mercedes vehicle passed. Officers heard the engine "being revved loudly and observed it dramatically increase its speed" along Henry Street, a 30mph zone. The car then "brakes sharply" and returned past police.
Police stopped the car as it attempted a "second drive-by". He stopped briefly and ignored an instruction to wind down his window. He shouted "naw" according to the prosecutor.
An officer attempted to open the door which was locked. The car had then driven on to Bridge Street.
A defence lawyer said the defendant, who had a record, had "a bit of history with the police" from when he was younger.
The lawyer said the incidents last June happened when there was a "very confusing situation in the town". Said the lawyer: "This was the time when there was racial rioting."
He said cars were being re-directed by police and "there were lots of people actually walking in the middle of the road at the time so it wasn't a normal situation. The crowds on the road were causing traffic to stop and start.
"He wasn't out in terms of being part of that crowd, he was driving to his grandmother to check if she was alright."
The lawyer said the defendant had two children in the car, one aged 13 and the other one-year-old "so he wasn't showboating".
Deputy District Judge Brian Archer said the defendant had a "bit of an attitude towards police" and added: "We are not talking about an 18-year-old here."
He said the defendant didn't help the situation in the town by the way he was driving and failing to comply with police.
Banning him from driving for two months and fining him £400, the judge said: "He might think twice before acting in this manner again."