A 27-year-old driver was clocked by members of the public clipping the wing mirror of a vehicle and driving on in Enniskillen town centre who then reported the incident to police.
Sean Paul Hawkins, of Redwood Court in Lisburn pleaded guilty to careless driving, failing to report an accident and failing to remain at the scene on East Bridge Street in Enniskillen on 17th June 2016.
Enniskillen Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday that at 4.10pm on the date in question, the injured party parked his Landrover Discovery outside Enniskillen Courthouse to go to the bank. When he returned to his vehicle, he discovered that the offside wing mirror had been badly damaged.
A prosecutor outlined that Hawkins had been driving a heavy goods vehicle at the time which collided with the Landrover before driving on. The incident had been seen by members of the public who alerted police. The cost to repair the damage to the wing mirror was £1,200 which the court was told had been made good by the defendant.
Hawkins was interviewed about the incident under caution and accepted that he had been in Enniskillen at the time but had no knowledge of the incident.
After hearing the evidence, District Judge Des Perry said: “Causing damage in a town like Enniskillen is bound to be seen and noted by members of the public.”
Defence barrister Ciaran Roddy said his client had travelled to the hearing from Belfast with his partner. The court was told that Hawkins, a delivery driver, already has nine penalty points on his licence and that it was inevitable that he would be disqualified.
Explaining the incident, Mr Roddy added: “He knew he had struck the vehicle and caused damage but had attempted to bury his head in the sand.”
District Judge Des Perry commented: “I hope that if he came here today by car his partner drives and can be prepared for the return journey home. It fascinates me why people who are so dependent on their licence can be so careless.”
Hawkins was disqualified for four days and was told by the judge: “You may ring in sick or take some holiday leave.” He was also fined a total of £165.
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