Mounted kerb near children

Marc Hewitt, Lisnisky Walk, Portadown, admitted dangerous driving on July 30 this year, driving with excess alcohol in breath and failing to provide a specimen.

Sentencing in the case had been adjourned from a previous court so that a probation report could be obtained.

That court heard that at 8.45pm a woman saw a car mount a kerb at Ashgrove Road in Portadown in the vicinity of some children.

The vehicle left the scene and police called at the defendant’s home address.

He failed to provide a preliminary breath test and told police ‘going up a kerb checking a text that’s not a crime’. An evidential test gave a reading of 121 in breath – the limit is 35.

Hewitt admitted he had taken a couple of tumblers of wine and on returning home drank a bottle of wine.

A barrister representing the defendant said he had been drinking with his partner in the house when a dispute arose in another house and he took the decision to drive there.

He added that Hewitt did not intend to mount the kerb but aggravated the matter by not remaining at the scene.

He took more alcohol when he got back to the house.

At last Friday’s court the barrister said the probation report was very positive and his client would apologise to the police and to the young children who were playing nearby.

District Judge Peter King agreed that the report was positive but these were a ‘disgraceful set of facts’ and that Hewitt had not only put himself in danger but also put a number of children in danger.

He added that he defendant had a ‘gross level’ of alcohol in his system.

For each of the three offences he sentenced Hewitt to 100 hours community service and banned him from driving for two years.