Dundrod man banned from the roads for drink driving
A man from Dundrod has been banned from the roads for a year after being found to be under the influence of alcohol whilst driving.
He appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court charged with driving with excess alcohol in breath.
The court heard that on October 3, 2026, at 00.20 police on patrol on the Antrim Road in Lisburn saw a vehicle driving in the opposite direction with no headlights on.
Officers turned their car to follow and observed the defendant pull the car over and exit from the driver’s side.
It was reported that the defendant, Ciaran Watterson (34), whose address was given as Knockcairn Lodge, Dundrod, was unsteady on his feet and there was a strong smell of alcohol.
Officers also noted the presence of empty cans of alcohol inside the vehicle.
The defendant failed a roadside preliminary breath test and was conveyed to custody, where a second test gave an evidential reading of 54 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
The defendant, who was representing himself in court, said: “I apologise for what I done.”
District Judge Rosie Watters disqualified the defendant from driving for 12 months.
She also stated that he must re-sit a driving test at the end of the period of disqualification before he can regain his driving licence.
Ms Watters told the defendant he could take a drink driving course, which would reduce the period of disqualification to nine months.
She imposed a fine of £250, as well as an offender’s levy of £15.