Antrim drug driver banned and forced to leave van at court

At the end of the prosecution case against Paul Quinn, the 31-year-old was invited to give evidence on his own behalf.

After a brief consultation with defence counsel Grant Powles however, Quinn not only declined to give evidence but he also entered a guilty plea to driving while unfit.

During the brief, 20-minute contest on Tuesday, Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, heard that a passing police patrol spotted a suspicious Audi A4 on the road to Ballymena on 7 May this year.

In their statements, the officers outlined how the car was driving very slowly and close to the white line while the driver was visibly, “chewing his mouth”.

When they stopped the vehicle, Quinn was found to be behind the wheel and the court heard how “his speech was slurred, he was unable to focus and he kept looking away”.

He undertook a Field Impairment Test at the roadside but within seconds of starting, he had failed and told the officers “just take blood”.

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A search of his Audi uncovered cocaine as well as MDMA, both Class A drugs. In addition to entering a guilty plea to driving while unfit, Quinn, from Brantwood Gardens in Antrim, also admitted possessing the Class A drugs.

Having acceded to Mr Powles’ request for a pre-sentence report, District Judge Nigel Broderick said given the driving offence, “there will be an interim driving disqualification".

“He drove here in his works van,” the barrister told the judge, suggesting the inevitable ban could be deferred to allow him to get home.

“Tough,” declared the judge, “I am not letting someone plead guilty and then drive home – he should have thought about that before driving his vehicle to court."

“The risk is that he could drive home and kill someone,” said Judge Broderick, “that won’t be on my conscience.”

Adjourning the plea and sentence until January 6, he warned Quinn, “don’t be driving now”.