Early morning U-turn in Larne alerted police to driver who turned out to be over the limit
Police saw a vehicle do a U-turn and ‘drive over’ a mini-roundabout in Larne at 1am and when they stopped the motorist he was over the limit, a court has heard.
James Clarke (69), with an address listed as Curran Road in Larne, admitted driving with excess alcohol on May 6 this year.
A prosecutor told Ballymena Magistrates' Court that police signalled for the defendant to stop "but it took several minutes for him to do so".
The defendant failed a preliminary breath test and in custody had an alcohol in breath reading of 44 - the legal limit is 35.
A defence solicitor said the defendant had been driving since 17 with a completely clear record.
The lawyer said his client was a retired haulage industry worker who had driven up to 40,000 miles a year "without any incident whatsoever".
Ahead of the incident in May this year, the solicitor said the defendant had been playing golf and had one beer at the club.
Later, he had then attended a 60th birthday party at a bar and had a beer and had taken part of a second beer somebody had bought him.
On the way home "he saw someone on the road, hence the U-turn, to give them a lift".
The lawyer said the reading was 44 and the defendant was "very surprised that he was over the limit".
The solicitor said his client was "extremely ashamed" to be in court.
Handing down a mandatory one-year driving ban along with a £200 fine, Deputy District Judge Liam McStay said the matter was "at the bottom end of the scale" and he accepted that the defendant "simply miscalculated on this occasion".
The judge added: "I think everybody should take a lesson that they really shouldn't be trying to do that type of calculation. It is no drink".