A man who was found to be over twice the legal limit whilst giving a friend a lift home has been disqualified from driving for 12 months.
The 35-year-old’s solicitor told court :”He had a full dinner and did not appreciate that he was over the limit.”
Viktor Kovac, of Limefield Rise, Craigavon had a plea of guilty entered on his behalf to driving with excess alcohol at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Prosecution outlined that on March 12, at 11.30pm, police had reason to stop the defendant driving a Honda Civic in the vicinity of Westacres, Craigavon.
A preliminary breath test was conducted at the roadside resulting in a fail, with a subsequent evidential sample obtained at Lurgan Custody Suite giving a reading of 74mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – over twice the legal limit.
Court heard that Kovac had one previous entry on his record, for driving whilst using a mobile phone, from 2015.
Commenting that this was a plea at the first opportunity, defence solicitor Gabriel Ingram stated that his client was a Slovakian national who had worked throughout his 11 years in this jurisdiction.
He added: “He was giving a friend a lift home after they had been drinking. He had a full dinner and did not appreciate that he was over the limit.”
Deputy District Judge Chris Holmes disqualified Kovac from driving for 12 months and ordered that he pay a fine of £350, along with the offender’s levy of £15, within 20 weeks.
The defendant was certified for the drink driving course which would see his ban reduced to one of nine months upon completion.
