A South Armagh man who was caught driving under the influence at a police checkpoint has been fined £250.
Piaras Woods, of Fort Road, Belleeks, was also disqualified from driving for 12 months at a hearing before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse.
The 21-year-old was charged with one count of driving with excess alcohol in breath.
At the outset of the hearing, his defence indicated that Woods wished to indicate a guilty plea.
The court heard on August 18 this year, police were conducting a vehicle checkpoint on Main Street in Charlemont when they were approached by a Volkswagen Golf vehicle.
On speaking to the driver, they noticed his speech was slurred and eyes were glazed.
The defendant was required to provide a sample of breath, which returned a reading of 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit in Northern Ireland is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
He was subsequently arrested and taken to the police station, where he produced a lower reading of 64.
Woods’ defence solicitor described the case as “straight-forward”, but admitted the reading was quite high, adding that losing his licence would “significantly affect” the defendant’s employment.
He explained that Woods had “no intention” of driving but had received a call from a distressed friend in the early hours of the morning.
Noting the defendant was “only 21”, District Judge Anne Marshall pointed to a previous conviction for careless driving, but conceded the reading was “not the highest”.
