Taxi driver caught with excess alcoho after drinking previous night

Joseph Anthony Cahill, of 29 Whitehall Crescent, Ballycastle, admitted the offence which took place at North Street, Ballycastle, on June 15.

A solicitor for the Public Prosecution Service told the court that police received information from a member of the public about the manner in which defendant was driving around 9.30 a.m.

A police patrol then stopped a car fitting the description given to them and spoke to defendant whose breath smelt of alcohol. Defendant failed a preliminary breath test and was subsequently arrested when he provided another test which revealed 57 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

A solicitor for Cahill said it was a classic case of a man who had been drinking the night before while watching a World Cup game and then getting up the next morning thinking he was alright to drive.

Defendant, said the solicitor, popped down to the shop and was detected by police. He now realised he should have waited sometime until he became sober.

The solicitor added that Cahill, aged 62, had a completely clear record and the loss of his licence would severely impact on his ability to earn a living.

District Judge, Mr. Richard Wilson, fined Cahill 250 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months. Mr. Wilson certified defendant for the drink driving course which, when completed, reduces the ban to nine months.