Enniskillen courthouse
A mother-of-two has been fined £500 and also banned from driving until retested after being found guilty of drink driving.
Tanya Mullarkey (40) of Rathowen in Lisnaskea appeared before Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday charged with driving with excess alcohol and without insurance.
The court heard that police were conducting a checkpoint on the Lisnaskea Road at around 8pm on May 23rd last when a Skoda Octavia car being driven by the defendant was stopped.
Mullarkey was accompanied by her partner who was in the passenger seat while police observed that a three-year-old child was seated in a child restraint in the rear.
On speaking with the defendant police detected a smell of alcohol. When Mullarkey failed a roadside breath test, she was conveyed to Omagh Police Station where she returned an evidential breath reading of 55mg of alcohol in 100 mls of blood, the limit being 35.
While the defendant produced a certificate of insurance at the scene, enquiries with her insurance company later revealed that this policy did not cover her to drive her partner’s vehicle.
Defence solicitor Sean McHugh told the court that on the date in question his client had been returning home with her family after spending the day in Strandhill in Sligo.
“Her partner had been driving but while returning home she had taken over as he was tired.
“She had been drinking earlier in the day and mistakenly took the view that she was capable of driving.
“She also wrongly took the view that the insurance policy on her own car covered her to drive her partner’s car.
“It is a matter of very deep embarrassment to her that she should appear in court on these charges,” Mr McHugh added.
District Judge Bonita Boyd noted that a young child had been in the car at the time of the incident as she imposed fines of £250 on each of the two charges.
Mullarkey was certified suitable for the drink driving course which on completion would reduce her period of disqualification.
She was also ordered to resit her test.
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