Lurgan man who was moving a motorbike to 'a safer place' had been reported to PSNI as 'appearing intoxicated', Craigavon court hears
A Co Armagh man who was caught moving his motorcycle to a ‘safe place’ is given a driving ban for being in charge of a vehicle with excess alcohol.
Christopher Wright, aged 36, from Lurgan Tarry, appeared before Craigavon Magistrate Court.
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He pleaded guilty to being in charge of a motorbike with excess alcohol, possession of the class c drug diazepam and no insurance.
The court heard that police on mobile patrol in Lurgan were contacted by a member of the public about concern for a man on October 24 last year at around 9pm.
He was sitting on a motorcycle on the Lough Road with the key in the ignition, lights on and ‘appeared intoxicated’.
Wright failed a preliminary breath test and system checks showed the vehicle wasn’t insured. After he was arrested, police searched him and found a small strip of six tablets later tested to be diazepam.
An evidential breath test resulted as 75 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitres of breath. The legal alcohol breath test limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Wright’s barrister, Mr John Paul McCann, said his client is currently on licence after matters at Newry Crown Court last year.
“He wasn’t recalled as he was doing so well with Probation,” he said, adding it was the defendant’s own motorcycle.
"That has gone now so the temptation is no longer there.
"He tells me that on the date in question he was simply moving the motorcycle to a safe location as there were people in the neighbourhood who were causing damage to it,” he said, adding his client’s last driving offence was five years ago.
"He accepts the drugs that were in his possession were for his own personal use, the barrister said.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said Wright had a “poor record” regarding driving with alcohol in his system, adding: “This case is in charge but coupled with the no insurance it has to be a disqualification.”
Wright was given a three-month ban for the in charge and no insurance offences and fined £100 on each. He was further fined £150 for the drugs offence.