Crash driver was '˜well '¨over the limit'

Colin William Harris (58), Oak Grange, Waringstown, was fined £400 last Wednesday at Craigavon Magistrates Court for driving with excess alcohol on December 8 last year.

He was also banned from driving for 15 months and ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy.

The court heard that at 3.40pm a road traffic collision took place on the Banbridge Road, Lurgan.

Harris was involved and after failing a roadside test an evidential test gave a reading of 86 in breath.

The case had been adjourned from a previous court so that a pre-sentence report could be obtained.

A solicitor representing the defendant said there had been traumatic events in his life both professional and domestic. He had served the community for over 27 years and had seen harrowing incidents.

Deputy District Judge Brian Archer said while the court appreciated the service given to the community this was the defendant’s second drink driving offence. The last was in 1992.

He was also concerned that the reading was 86 in the afternoon which meant Harris must have been drinking in the morning.

The solicitor said his client was trying to deal with his problems and had taken positive steps since this incident.

Judge Archer said he would take into account the way the defendant had approached the matter along with the pre-sentence report, a medical report and references presented to the court. But, he continued, the ban would be more than the minimum because of the high reading.