Electrician was spotted swerving his BMW in Lurgan town centre after drinking five pints following work, Craigavon court hears
A Co Armagh electrician, who had five pints after work, was spotted by police driving, swerving and clipping a kerb, a court hears.
William Edward Robinson, aged 58, from Tarry Drive, Lurgan appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
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Robinson’s barrister, Ms Ciara O’Neill said her client pleaded guilty to a single charge of driving with excess alcohol in breath.
On October 10 this year at 7.50pm police spotted a BMW driving along Market St, Lurgan. “The vehicle was swerving over the white line and had clipped a kerb,” a Prosecutor said.
When police spoke to the defendant his speech "was slurred" and there was a smell of intoxicating liquor. He admitted drinking five pints earlier.
An Evidential Breath Test result was 80 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The alcohol limits for driving in NI is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Ms O’Neill said her client, who is an electrician, felt "ashamed” to find himself before the court. A reference from his employer spoke “very highly” of Robinson.
She said a driving ban would “have a significant impact on his employment”.
"There is no excuse for it. He would normally walk to a local bar on a Friday night after work but on this occasion he took the car and very foolishly decided to get back into it at the end of the night,” she said.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan described the reading as "high”. “There is clear evidence you were impacted by the alcohol in your system by the bad driving which put others at risk.”
He was fined £350 and banned from driving for 12 months.