Lurgan Department for Infrastructure highway inspector, caught in charge of a Mercedes while over the alcohol limit in Portadown, escapes driving ban
A highway inspector, caught in charge of a vehicle while over the alcohol limit, has escaped a driving ban due to his caring duties for his elderly mother.
Edmund Jones, aged 59, from Kingsway Drive, Lurgan appeared in Craigavon Magistrates Court charged with being in charge of a vehicle with excess alcohol.
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The court heard police received a call on December 22 last year reporting that a man had left a pub and got into the driver’s seat of a white Mercedes at a car park at Shillington Street in Portadown and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
When police arrived, Jones was in the driver’s seat of the vehicle with the key in the ignition though the car wasn’t switched on.
Police noticed he had slurred speech and after he was brought to Lurgan Custody Suite, he did an evidential breath test which was 114 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitres of breath. The alcohol limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Jones’ solicitor, Mr Philip Reid, admitted the reading was “exceptionally high”, however he said his client had a “very limited record”.
He said Jones lives alone with his mother who is 89 years old and is disabled. Mr Reid showed the court her parking disabled card sharing that his client is his mother’s carer and drives her to all hospital appointments.
The solicitor said the car is also valuable for his work as a highway inspector for the Department for Infrastructure.
"This was the Monday before Christmas and he has been out at the pub with friends that he does frequent. He has taken the car before but he usually leaves it overnight in the free car park. But he got a message that his mother wasn’t well and he was in a bit of a rush and had got into the car,” said Mr Reid.
"He had been sitting there for a little bit of time but thankfully he hadn’t driven as it could’ve been a lot worse. He had taken a second thought when he was there,” he said, asking for the court to consider points to put the defendant on the brink of a disqualification.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan asked if there was anyone who could take his mother to appointments. “That’s my main concern as this man should be off the road,” he said.
Mr Reid said there wasn’t.
The judge told the defendant: “The court’s main focus is your mother who is approaching 90. You should have thought of that before you got into the car with a significant amount of drink on board.
“Taking you off the road today might significantly disadvantage this elderly lady. I don’t want to do that. You are very lucky, Mr Jones, that you hadn’t actually started driving because that would have added two years disqualification as a minimum,” said the district judge.
He added: “I’m going to give you a chance, Mr Jones, and mark 10 penalty points on your licence but you will pay a significantly enhanced fine given that very high reading.”
He imposed a fine of £600 plus the £15 offender levy.