Enniskillen Courthouse
THE driver of a Range Rover which was detected driving at 101mph on the Clogher road near Fivemiletown had neither a driving licence or insurance, Enniskillen Magistrates Court has heard.
Thirty year old Roger Martin O’Grady from Chestnut Grove, Killywillin in Enniskillen pleaded guilty to a number of motoring offences on two separate occasions in October and November last year.
On October 15 last police detected a black Range Rover at 101mph between Clogher and Fivemiletown.
Police observed the vehicle was driven by a male who was on his own and noticed no ‘L’ plates on the vehicle.
Despite giving chase police were unable to catch up with the car and contacted the last previous owner who said her partner, the defendant, would be driving the vehicle.
Police contacted the defendant by mobile phone and asked him to meet them.
He met the officers at Queen Street in Enniskillen, and he was driving a BMW X6.
The defendant denied driving the Range Rover earlier that day and gave the name of another person, from the Republic, who he said was driving.
The defendant produced insurance to police but no driving licence – he only had a provisional licence.
CCTV footage from Clogher PSNI station was later checked and a still taken three minutes before police saw the speeding Range Rover showed a man who matched the defendant’s description driving the Range Rover. Despite this the defendant continued to deny he was driving the speeding vehicle.
The second incident before the court related to November 1 when at 10am police on duty at the Brookeborough road stopped a Range Rover Vogue towing a car transporter.
When his licence was checked he didn’t have the relevant categories to tow this class of a trailer.
Michael Fahy, defending, asked his client be given credit for his pleas of guilty although District Judge Nigel Broderick asked why he initially gave a false name to police?
Mr Fahy said the defendant passed his driving test on November 28 and that while originally from Roscommon he was now living in Enniskillen and operated three businesses – one in Enniskillen, one in Roscommon and a haulage business in Belfast.
“He drives in excess of 100,000 miles per year” the court heard.
“This is a serious matter for a number of reasons” the judge said making reference to the speed of 101mph.
“A disqualification is inevitable” the judge continued imposing a six month ban and £200 fine on the speeding charge.
For driving unaccompanied, no ‘L’ plates and failing to produce licence fines of £50 were imposed. For the two no insurance charges fines of £200 and 12 month driving bans were handed down.
A further two fines of £50 were imposed for no ‘L’ plates and unaccompanied.
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