Larne personal trainer took to the road despite being banned
A personal trainer has pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified; exceeding a 70mph speed limit on the A8 dual-carriageway near Kilwaughter and absence of insurance in a Mercedes CLS320.
The 26-year-old committed offences on September 4 last year. The case was heard at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 30.
The defendant, Caelainn Campbell, with an address listed on the charge sheet as Lindara Drive in Larne, was detected driving at 91mph in a 70 zone.
He was driving whilst disqualified after being banned at court in July last year.
The court heard that the defendant told police in September he thought the original one year driving ban from July 2025 would not start until he handed in his driving licence.
A defence barrister said that getting behind the wheel in September had been a "genuine, honest, mistake".
He told the court that the defendant is a personal trainer but he was not working as he "needs his licence to get back to work".
At Ballymena Magistrates Court, District Judge Nigel Broderick asked: "How did he misunderstand the words 'you have to re-sit your test'?"
The defendant had been on a suspended sentence for a previous matter but the judge said that he would not activate that as it was for "a different type of offence". The suspended period remains active.
The defendant has now been ordered to do 120 hours of Community Service; he has also been banned from driving for three months; and there is a £100 fine.