An Armagh man who has held a provisional driving licence for six years after previously being disqualified has been given another ban.
Paul Mark Gibney, of Moore Island Road, pleaded guilty to driving whilst uninsured and whilst unaccompanied as a learner driver at the city’s Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The court heard the 38-year-old was stopped by police on March 11 at around 2pm, driving a Volkswagen Passat on Upper English Street, Armagh, and checks showed the vehicle to be uninsured.
Officers then found that the defendant had been previously disqualified and was driving on a provisional licence whilst unaccompanied.
Defence counsel said that on this day the mother of the defendant’s partner had taken ill and he had taken the vehicle to collect her from hospital.
She added that Gibney had purchased this vehicle in view of passing his test and that he was normally insured on his partner’s mother’s car.
District Judge Paul Copeland was dubious of this as he spotted that Gibney had held his current provisional licence for six years.
The defendant was banned from driving for six months and was ordered to pay a fine of £400, along with the offender’s levy of £15, within 12 weeks.
