Over-the-limit Lisburn motorist 'left function after row broke out'

Nouredine Charami (46), of Ballymacoss Hill, Lisburn, came to police attention in Antrim town around 10.40pm on November 30 last year after a report of a vehicle being driven erratically.

Police saw the vehicle "bouncing" off a kerb and swerving on a road. When police spoke to the defendant the handbrake was not applied and the vehicle began to roll backwards, Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, was told.

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The defendant had an alcohol in breath reading of 73 - the legal limit is 35. The defence solicitor said his client wished to apologise.

He said the defendant had not intended to drive after drinking at a function but "a row, a dispute or a fight broke out and he felt it best to leave as he didn't wish to become involved".

The lawyer said the defendant, a chef, has been working on the set of the 'Blue Lights' TV police drama. The defendant had a "relevant" conviction from 2011.

For the new offence he was banned from driving for 16 months and was fined £500. He will then have to re-sit a test to get back on the roads.