Lisburn judge warns Dunmurry man not to let his life 'go downhill'
A Dunmurry man has been warned by a judge not to let his life “go downhill” after he was sentenced at Lisburn Magistrates Court.
George Paul Connor McWilliams, 40, whose address was given as Mosside Road in Dunmurry, appeared in court charged with driving whilst disqualified, using a vehicle without insurance, and possession of a Class C drug, namely pregabalin.
The facts of the cases were not opened in court. However, it is understood the driving offences date back to October 25, 2024 when the defendant, who was driving a Volvo V50 at the time, was stopped by police on Linenhall Street in Lisburn.
Checks by the police showed that the defendant was a disqualified driver with no valid certificate of insurance.
In a separate incident, the defendant was charged with possession of drugs on February 3, 2023.
The case was deferred for sentencing, with the defendant being told at the time to stay out of trouble.
Lisburn Magistrates Court was told that there had been no reoffending by the defendant and there were no pending matters due before the court.
District Judge Rosie Watters imposed a probation order for two years on each of the charges.
She also disqualified the defendant from driving for a period of two years on each of the two driving charges.
During sentencing, Ms Watters told the defendant: “You are far from being a stranger to the courts. You say you want to sort your life out so don’t let it go downhill now.”