A Portadown man has appeared in court after crashing his car whilst on cocaine left him with “significant, permanent injuries”.
Stephen Woods, 40, of Loughgall Road, appeared before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse on Tuesday, charged with driving whilst unfit and using a vehicle without insurance.
The court heard that on Saturday, June 8, 2024, police attended a one-vehicle collision on the Loughgall Road in Portadown.
They discovered a Ford Transit van with substantial damage. The driver, who identified himself as Woods, was still in the vehicle and was removed by the Ambulance Service.
A witness at the scene told police they had been travelling behind Woods and the standard of driving was “poor”.
Woods was cautioned and asked to provide a sample of blood for analysis. Further checks on systems showed that he did not have a policy of insurance.
The blood sample was sent to forensics and later came back to show that he had cocaine in his system.
Addressing the court, a defence solicitor said that Woods, who was previously self-employed, “sustained significant, permanent life-changing injuries” in the accident, and has been unable to work since.
He added that Woods, who has “never darkened the door of a court” before, was in financial difficulty at the time, and a monthly payment had been missed.
District Judge Anne Marshall commented: “I don’t know what has gone wrong in the world that 40-year-old tradespeople – and we see them in this court on a regular basis – are now on cocaine.
“People need to be aware that these drugs are illegal, they cause serious harm…”
Judge Marshall imposed a total fine of £300, alongside the £15 offender levy, and disqualified Woods from driving for one year.
