A Tynan man who drove under the influence on his way home from Monaghan has been fined.
John Jo Gormley, 19, of Coolkill Road, appeared before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse on Tuesday, charged with driving with excess alcohol in breath and using a vehicle without insurance.
The court heard that on November 23, 2024, at approximately 2am, police stopped a Silver Seat in the vicinity of Main Street in Middletown.
The driver, who identified himself as Gormley, said he had borrowed a friend’s vehicle from across the border and was driving home.
Police noted a smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle and conducted a preliminary breath test, which returned a positive reading.
Gormley was then taken to Dungannon custody where he produced an evidential sample of 53 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal alcohol limit for drivers in Northern Ireland is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
A defence lawyer, speaking on Gormley’s behalf, said that his client, who works in Monaghan, obtained his driving licence a year and a half ago.
He added that the person who was to leave Gormley home had begun drinking alcohol.
The defence asked for credit for Gormley’s early guilty plea, his clear record and the “relatively low” alcohol reading.
District Judge Anne Marshall commented: “You’re very young and you haven’t been driving for that long so it’s very concerning that you were driving with drink taken.
“It’s not the highest reading but you know it’s a good bit over the limit, and I can say you’re a relatively inexperienced driver.”
Gormley was banned from driving for one year and handed a total fine of £300, alongside a £15 offender levy.
