Greenkeeper found sleeping in his car

Sixty-five-year-old Henryk Kleina from Cavanakeeran Road, Pomeroy, was also fined £200 with a £15 offender levy for being in charge of the vehicle while having consumed excess alcohol.

A Prosecution lawyer said on July 27 the defendant purchased alcohol in Tesco in Cookstown and was observed sitting in a vehicle drinking alcohol in the car park.

He said police carried out a check of the area and located it parked at Tulnacross Road with the defendant asleep in the back.

The lawyer said when he woke the defendant appeared to be heavily intoxicated and provided a preliminary breath test which he failed.

He said police seized an empty whisky bottle from the vehicle and Kleina provided an evidential specimen with an alcohol reading of 107mgs in breath.

A defence lawyer said the defendant is a Polish national who has been living here for 15 years and works as a greenkeeper in Cookstown. He said his employment required him to drive a works van.

The lawyer pleaded with the court to give him credit for entering an early plea to the charge.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said it was “an excessively high reading” and he had been minded to impose a six to eight month disqualification but would keep it to two months.