Jail warning for Ballymoney man: Court

20-year-old Jim Henry McGuckian, a digger driver of Bendooragh Road, was given a suspended custodial term after he was caught driving whilst disqualified.

District Judge Richard Wilson told him: “If you are driving whilst a disqualified driver again you are going to jail.”

North Antrim Magistrates Court was told on Wednesday McGuckian came to police attention at Castle Street, Ballymoney, on November 16 last year.

At the time of the offence the defendant was in the middle of a three months road ban.

A defence lawyer said McGuckian took to the road because a vehicle he had a chance to buy which was “going fairly cheap” was available and he was taking it home to sell it on.

Mr Wilson told McGuckian he had received a three months driving disqualification last year which some people might have regarded as “generous” but yet he couldn’t keep off the roads for such a short period.

Mr Wilson said McGuckian going on the road to dabble with buying and selling a vehicle was “the height of stupidity”.

As well as driving whilst disqualified at Castle Street last year the vehicle had defective brakes which involved a danger of injury and the vehicle was neither insured nor had MOT.

McGuckian was given two months in custody, suspended for two years; banned from driving for a year and fined a total of 700.