AN ENNISKILLEN driver who was more than three-and-a-half times the legal limit got into his car and turned on the engine before being approached by police.
Nigel Black (43) of Coleshill Park appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday charged with being drunk in charge of a vehicle and driving without insurance.
On Sunday, September 11, at approximately 2am, police on patrol in Wellington Road in Enniskillen noticed two men who were unsteady on their feet. The men approached an Alfa Romeo car, and the officers observed Black getting into the driver’s seat and turning on the engine.
When police spoke with Black the noted a smell of alcohol on his breath. The defendant failed a preliminary breath test and when he was arrested and brought to Enniskillen Police Station he returned an evidential reading of 129 micrograms per 100ml of breath. The legal drink driving limit is 35 micrograms.
Subsequent checks on Black’s car, which was seized and remains in police custody, revealed it wasn’t insured.
Defence solicitor Garry Smyth said Black was “all too aware of the seriousness” of the charges, given the high reading, but asked for credit to be given to his client for his early guilty plea.
With regard having no insurance, Mr Smyth explained Black had owned the car for around two months and had had a policy, but it was cancelled. He said Black was awaiting his refund cheque to take out another policy, adding it had been the defendant’s responsibility to ensure he was insured.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said while Black had not been driving the car, his very high reading was an aggravating factor in the case. For being drunk in charge he disqualified him from driving for 12 months and fined him £200. For driving without insurance, Judge Broderick disqualified Black for six months, concurrent, and fined him £150.
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere