Man who 'abandoned daughter' caught drink driving, court is told

Kamasami Abbeljaouad (29), of Hillcrest Avenue was charged with drink driving and abandoning a child under 16.

Court heard that police were carrying out a checkpoint in Coleraine when they came across the defendant.

His eyes were glazed and he smelled of alcohol. A roadside breath test indicated that Abbeljaouad had 64mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, almost two times the legal limit of 35mc.

Abbeljaouad was arrested but on his way to the police station he became anxious about getting his house keys to his friend.

It transpired that he had left his four-year-old daughter sleeping at home.

A solicitor told the court that, her client had shared residence of his daughter, and that on the night in question his friend had asked him for a lift to the train station.

She said that he had made arrangement for another friend to come and look after the child, and that as he left in the car, he was told that his friend, who was coming to look after the child, was ‘just around the corner’.

However the friend had no keys to get into the house.

The solicitor told the court that a car was ‘crucial’ to the defendant as his daughter was just about to start school in Portrush.

She added that he had been forced to give up work due to childcare issues.

District Judge Richard Wilson fined Abbeljaouad 200 and banned him from driving for 12 months for driving with excess alcohol.

Abbeljaouad was also fined 200 for abandoning his daughter.

“Don’t leave that child again, “ warned the District Judge.