Woman who used e-scooter without insurance or licence had been 'late for court' in Ballymena
A 42-year-old woman caught using an e-scooter without insurance or a driving licence claimed she was using it because she was late for court.
Leanne Williamson, of Burma Place in Ballymena, was detected on October 30 last year in the the town.
On that date, the defendant was at court and was given an Enhanced Community Order of 100 hours of Community Service and Probation of 18 months for theft of make-up worth £133.
At that court, a defence lawyer said the defendant had a record for shoplifting and gets "an adrenaline rush" from stealing". It was added: "It seems to give her a rush until she gets home and then she immediately feels bad thereafter. That diagnosis has plagued her life".
The defendant was back at the same court on Thursday, April 2 for the scooter offences and another incident, on February 27 this year, when police were alerted about a car being driven with a flat tyre in Ballymena.
The defendant had been driving and admitted insurance and licence offences and using a vehicle with a defective tyre.
Regarding the scooter incident on October 30, a prosecutor said police saw the defendant on the scooter. She had been warned several times previously not to use the scooter on public footpaths and when the scooter was seized she became agitated.
"She had been late for court. That is why she took the scooter, she had no other means of travel to the courthouse," said the defence solicitor.
The defendant has now been banned from driving for a year and fined £500.
In September 2024 the defendant was given a three months driving ban and was fined £200 for using an e-scooter without insurance or a licence. That scooter was seized by police.