Young South Derry motorist 'very foolishly' decided to drive home from a bar after he couldn't get a lift home
A young Maghera motorist who decided to drive home from a bar in the town after he was unable to get a lift, has lost his licence for 14 months.
Magherafelt Magistrates Court was told on Wednesday that police were operating a vehicle checkpoint in the vicinity of Main Street, Maghera, when they observed a car failing to stop at the junction. Prosecuting counsel said the car drove in the direction of the checkpoint where it stopped.
Twenty-three-year-old Christopher Doherty, of Meeting House Avenue, Maghera, was fined £250 with a £15 offender’s levy for driving with excess alcohol in breath on May 1.
He was fined a further £150 for breaching a traffic sign and failing to wear a seatbelt on the same date.
Counsel said that Doherty identified himself to police at the checkpoint and they noted he was not wearing a seatbelt. He provided a roadside breath test, which he failed and was taken into custody.
The defendant provided an evidential specimen which showed an alcohol count of 88 mcgs per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 mcgs.
A defence lawyer explained that evening Doherty had gone to a bar and he was intending to get a life home.
He couldn’t get a lift home so “very foolishly” decided to drive the short distance to his home.
The lawyer said the defendant travelled from home to Toome every day, and he is not sure how he is going to deal with that.
He stressed Doherty had co-operated fully with police when he was stopped.
Imposing the penalties, District Judge Conor Heaney remarked that it was “a fairly high reading”.