A Co Armagh man has been given just a four-week driving ban after hearing that he needed to keep his licence in order to travel to work.
Patrick Mackin, of Kernan Road, Craigavon, breached a traffic sign in Belfast on his first time driving in the city.
The 24-year-old pleaded guilty to driving with excess speed at Armagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Court heard the defendant now lived in Belfast and needed his car to travel to his place of work at a Lurgan leisure centre.
Defence counsel said Mackin currently had nine live penalty points at the time of the offence and was in danger of losing his licence through “totting up”.
Court heard the defendant’s previous offences had been for speeding and breaching a traffic sign.
With the latter of these defence counsel said Mackin had told them this was a case of not seeing the lights as it was his first time driving in Belfast.
This made Deputy District Judge Des Perry question if the defendant should really be on the road.
Defence counsel asked that a short disqualification is put in place as opposed to points to allow Mackin to keep his job.
Deputy District Judge Perry consented to the request and banned him for four months.
Having also fined Mackin £150, he told him: “You will have to make do with public transport for the next month.”
