Man caught driving while disqualified in Lisburn warned if he gets behind the wheel again while banned he'll be sent to jail
A man charged with driving whilst disqualified on consecutive days has been banned from the roads for three years.
Artis Cimka, 32, whose address was given as Huguenot Drive in Lisburn, appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court charged with two counts of driving whilst disqualified, two counts of having no insurance, and one further charge of driving with excess alcohol on his breath.
The court heard that on August 25, 2024 police attended Sloan Street in Lisburn at 2.50pm and noted two men asleep in a vehicle.
The defendant was the front seat passenger and the police noted a box of beer in the vehicle.
It was stated that at one stage CCTV footage showed the defendant driving the car.
A breath test taken whilst in custody gave a reading of 72 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
The following day, August 26, at 2.10pm police received a report from Citywatch, which operates CCTV cameras in Lisburn City Centre, that a male, said to be the defendant, was seen getting into a vehicle and driving away.
Police located the defendant walking on Sloan Street and he confirmed that he had been disqualified from driving for three years.
He was cautioned and made full admission during interview.
District Judge Francis Raffety commented: “The defendant made the excuse to police that he was confused about the dates he was disqualified. He then went out the next day and did exactly the same thing.
"Tell me why he shouldn’t go to jail immediately,” he asked the defendant’s defence barrister.
Mr Rafferty then ordered the defendant to be taken into the courts cells whilst he considered the sentence.
A short time later, the defendant was brought back before the court.
On the charge of driving whilst disqualified dated August 25, Mr Rafferty imposed a custodial sentence of three months, suspended for two years. He also disqualified the defendant from driving for three years, and imposed an offender’s levy of £15.
On the charge of having no insurance, dated August 25, Mr Rafferty disqualified the defendant from driving for one year. He also imposed a fine of £250.
On the charge of driving with excess alcohol in breath, Mr Rafferty disqualified the defendant from driving for five years.
On the charge of driving whilst disqualified, dated August 26, Mr Rafferty disqualified the defendant from driving for three years.
He also imposed a custodial sentence of four months, suspended for two years.
On the charge of having no insurance, dated August 26, Mr Rafferty imposed a custodial sentence of three months, suspended for two years, to run concurrently with the previous sentence.
He also disqualified the defendant from driving for two years, and imposed a fine of £250.
The total period of disqualification from driving is five years.
Mr Rafferty gave the defendant 12 weeks to pay the fines.
During sentencing, Mr Rafferty warned the defendant that if he got behind the wheel of a car while disqualified again he “will start with a prison sentence of seven years.”