An Armagh man who admitted to police that he had been driving whilst drinking a bottle of Buckfast has been handed a 12 month disqualification.
Court heard that the 23-year-old was found to be over twice the legal drink drive limit after being involved in a road traffic collision on the Battleford Road.
Paul Lendrum, of Mullacreevie Park, had a plea of guilty entered on his behalf to driving with excess alcohol at the city’s Magistrates’, sitting at Newry, on Tuesday.
Prosecution outlined that on February 17, police received a report of a road traffic collision on the Battleford Road in Armagh.
Officers arrived and when they spoke to the defendant, the driver of a vehicle involved, and they noted that he smelled of intoxicating liquor.
The police also observed an empty bottle of Buckfast in the passenger side footwell of his vehicle. When questioned on this Lendrum stated that he drank it after the incident to ease the pain of an injury he had suffered.
A preliminary breath test was conducted resulting in a fail, and a subsequent evidential sample obtained at Dungannon Custody Suite resulted in a reading of 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
When interviewed the following day, the defendant admitted that he had been drinking the Buckfast whilst driving.
Defence solicitor Kevin McCamley stated: “He has nothing on his record and this was an early plea. He has not covered himself in glory but honesty has prevailed.”
Lendrum was disqualified from driving for 12 months and was ordered to pay a fine of £200, along with the offender’s levy of £15.
District Judge Eamon King certified the defendant for the drink driving course which would see his ban reduced to one of nine months upon completion.
