An Armagh man whose “job would be on the line” if he was disqualified from driving has been banned from the roads for one month.
The 32-year-old was up before Armagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with driving without insurance, while his 27-year-old partner – the co-accused – faced a charge of permitting no insurance.
On August 26 last year, the defendant was pulled over by officers on patrol while driving an uninsured Peugeot on the Mullinure Road in Armagh.
His partner, the registered owner for the car, claimed that she had no idea he was uninsured.
The court heard how the policy had in fact been cancelled in May of that year.
Defence counsel said that his job as a delivery driver meant he had been allowed to take his work van home on occasions and had been using that for personal use, as opposed to his car.
An insurance policy for the Peugeot was subsequently bought in October – two months after the offence.
It was also explained to the judge that the defendant’s licence was essential to his job and that it was on the line of he was disqualified.
This was even more important as he was the main “bread winner” for his partner and their four young children.
The court heard how the defendant had previously been convicted for a similar offence in 2013.
District Judge Nigel Broderick noted that “perhaps he should have thought about this more carefully considering his responsibilities”.
He concluded that given his previous conviction, the defendant had to be disqualified from driving.
He was banned from driving for one month with a £500 fine to be paid over 16 weeks, while his partner was fined £200 and received six penalty points on her licence. Both were ordered to each pay the £15 offender’s levy.
