Prosecution evidence outlined that police attended a road traffic collision at 11pm on June 21st at Crevenish Park, Kesh. On arrival they discovered a red Volkswagen Polo had crashed into the gable of a bungalow. Initially there was no sign of a driver in the vehicle but Andrew Gardiner made himself known to police as the owner. Officers noted that he was unsteady on his feet and smelled of alcohol. Gardiner (28) was arrested and brough to Enniskillen PSNI station and when tested, returned a reading of 101 micrograms per 100ml of breath. The legal drink driving limit is 35 micrograms.

Gardiner, of Erne Parl in Kesh, was charged with dangerous driving and drink driving. In police interviews, he admitted that he had been reaching for his mobile phone which was on the floor of the car, leading him to take his eyes off the road and hitting the gable of the house.

Defence barrister Ciaran Roddy told District Judge Nigel Broderick: “Nothwithstanding the mobile phone, he shouldn’t have been anywhere near a car on this occasion. The reading is astronomical. He left the vehicle after the collision but then identified himself to police. 

“He had been the victim of an assault a few weeks prior to this incident and had taken a lot of drink at his father’s house. He felt too afraid to walk home and made the mistake of taking the car.”

Mr Roddy added that substantial damage was caused to the lady’s house who was startled by the bang while she was in her bedroom for which his client had written a letter of apology.

Addressing Gardiner, the judge said: “This could have been much more serious and thankfully there were no injuries sustained after you hit the bungalow and considerable damage was caused.”

Giving Gardiner  credit for his early plea and genuine remorse, the judge fined him a total of £300 and imposed a two year driving disqualification until re-tested.