Lurgan teenager was quoted £7,000 for car insurance, Craigavon court told
A teenager, who was quoted £7k for car insurance, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday charged with having no car insurance.
Wiktor Patrik Bogacz, aged 19, from Union Mews, Lurgan, faced two separate charges of using a vehicle without insurance.
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The court heard that on September 14 last year at 01.10am police were on mobile patrol in Craigavon and spotted a Seat Leon driving in the Highfield Grove area.
The driver, who was the defendant, told police he just bought the vehicle the previous day. He was told to produce proof of insurance within seven days. He attended Lurgan Police Station but was unable to produce insurance which covered him.
Then on October 5 last year at 3.55pm police were again on patrol at Cherryhill, Waringstown, when they spotted the defendant again having recognised the vehicle. Checks found the vehicle still had no active insurance policy and he was charged for a second time.
Bogacz’s solicitor Mr Seamus Lannon said his client bought the car on the day of the first detection. ‘His difficulty is he is fascinated by motor vehicles and has aspirations of being a mechanic. The outcome of today’s proceedings might scupper that to some degree.”
Mr Lannon said his client qualified as a driver in January last year. He added that on the second detection for no insurance the car was impounded from Bogacz. He knows he has lost the car as he didn’t reclaim it within the three weeks.
Mr Lannon added that Bogacz doesn’t wish to drive anymore because he realises he has put himself in a difficult position. The solicitor said his client was quoted £7,000 to insure the car.
"His parents are understanding individuals. He is one of three boys and has an older sister who is at university in England. His parents are hard working, decent people who work in factories. He worked in a factory but lost that job.”
For the first no insurance charge he was banned from driving for two months, fined £150 plus the £15 Offender Levy and for the second no insurance charge he was disqualified from driving for three months and fined £200 – making a total of three months driving ban.