A Lurgan man who “foolishly” drove after drinking whilst out socialising with friends has been handed a 12 month ban.
Court heard that police spotted the 50-year-old pulled over on the hard shoulder with a car full of people.
Stefan Dorot, of Soye Gardens, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at Armagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Prosecution outlined that on February 1, at 1.50am, police on patrol of the Portadown Road, Armagh, spotted an Audi A4 on the hard shoulder with hazard lights activated.
They observed a male at the rear of the car and that all seats inside were occupied, except for the driver’s seat.
Officers spoke to the male, who identified himself as the defendant, and they noted a smell of intoxicating liquor on his breath.
A preliminary breath test was carried out resulting in a fail and later an evidential sample gave a reading of 59mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
Defence counsel stated: “This is a married man with three children. He had been out socialising with friends and foolishly decided to have a drink.
“He has a Romanian driving licence but he has misplaced this, however, the outcome is inevitable.”
Dorot was disqualified from driving for 12 months and was ordered to pay a fine of £300, along with the offender’s levy of £15 , within 16 weeks.
The defendant was certified for the drink driving course which would see his ban reduced to one of nine months upon completion.
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