A DRINK driver, who was more than twice the legal limit, told police he had only had two glasses of wine at his girlfriend’s house.

Damian Kelly (42) of Castle Street in Irvinestown appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with drink driving. 

 

Police on mobile patrol in Irvinestown on August 28 when they observed a Peugeot 106 very slowly on the Lisnarick Road. They also noted the driver, Kelly, was not wearing his seat-belt , and stopped the car to speak with him. 

 

The officers noted a smell of alcohol on his breath, and Kelly told then he’d had two glasses of wine. When he failed a preliminary breath test he was arrested and returned an evidential reading of 93 micrograms per 100ml of breath. 

 

Defence solicitor Tommy Owens said Kelly, a cleaner with no previous convictions, had been at his girlfriend’s house and had only about a mile to drive home. The solicitor said

Kelly felt he wasn’t over the limit and was OK to drive. District Judge Paul Copeland pointed out he was more that twice the drink driving limit. 

 

Judge Copeland fined Kelly £300 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months, until retested. He certified the defendant for the drink driving course, which if completed successfully will reduce his driving ban by 25 per-cent.