Drink driver banned from the roads

Anne Marie Jordan, 41, from Dunbeg Park in Hillsborough, appeared at Lisburn Magistrates Court this week charged with driving with excess alcohol in her blood.

The court heard that at 3.30am on January 27, the police attended the scene of a road traffic accident on the Hillsborough Road in Lisburn.

Medical practitioners were in attendance at the scene, which involved only the defendant and no other vehicle.

The police took a preliminary breath test at the scene, which the defendant failed. She was transferred to hospital and was subsequently arrested by the police at 4am.

A sample test gave a reading of 147mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, 67mg over the 80mg legal limit.

Defence said the defendant had been driving for twenty years and apologised to the court for the offence.

She continued: “She had lost her job a few months previously and had been feeling down as a result. She had been out and had driven home.”

District Judge Bernadette Kelly imposed a fine of £300. She also banned the defendant from driving for twelve months, which may be reduced to nine months on completion of a certified drink driving course.