Suspended jail term for Ballyclare man found near damaged van
A man found near a damaged van close to Ballyclare refused to provide breath samples to police and has been given a four months prison term, suspended for two years.
Steven McCrindle (32), of Ollardale Park in Ballyclare, admitted charges in relation to September 2 last year.
At 11.20pm police received a report of two unknown males near a property and one of them was "injured".
Nearby, a van with damage was "abandoned" and was causing an obstruction on a road. There were "beer bottles surrounding the vehicle," Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, was told.
Police found two males were "highly intoxicated". One of them was McCrindle and he refused to tell police how he had got to the location. Keys located were the keys for the vehicle.
The defendant refused to give a preliminary breath test and also refused to provide an evidential sample at a police station.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said it was the defendant's third conviction "for being involved with a motor vehicle with excess alcohol".
As well as the suspended jail term, the defendant was banned from driving for three years and was fined £250.
He will have to re-sit his test to get back on the road.