An Armagh man who caused a three-vehicle accident because of a defective tyre has been handed three penalty points.
Court heard the 35-year-old claimed he had braked but the car he was driving did not stop.
Joseph Alexander Mills, 35, of Navan Cottages, pleaded guilty to driving without due care or attention and a defective tyre at the city’s Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Court heard that on June 22, at around 1pm, police were called to a road traffic collision on the Keady Road, Armagh.
They arrived to find that the accident involved three vehicles which had been stopping at traffic lights.
The defendant’s car had been the rear vehicle in this collision.
Inspection of this car showed that one of its front tyres was devoid of tread so that bare wires showed.
When interviewed, Mills stated that he did break but the car did not stop.
Defence solicitor Terri Powell stated: “The car did not belong to Mr Mills, it was a friend’s; he had been told it had passed the MOT just a few weeks prior to this incident.”
She added that the defendant insisted that he had braked but the vehicle did not stop due to the defect.
Ms Powell said her client had recently found employment which was dependant on him retaining his licence.
Court heard that Mills had six live penalty points on his licence.
District Judge Paul Copeland stated: “This is a very serious motoring matter, but it is mitigated somewhat by the defect in the tyre.”
Mills was handed three penalty points and ordered to pay a fine of £150, along with the offender’s levy of £15, within eight weeks.
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