A 48-year-old Newtownbutler man faces a £220 fine and has been disqualified until tested after he was convicted on a number of motoring charges.

The Resident Magistrate, Bernadette Kelly heard how a crash occurred on 19th December last year when the defendant, James Laurence McKiernan, from Wattlebridge Road, was on his way to work.

The Court was told that the road surface on the Wattlebridge Road was very uneven and the motorist lost control as he went over a bump where there was black ice, his vehicle colliding with a telegraph pole. It was later discovered that the defendant, a provisional driver, failed to display 'L' plates, had no insurance, no MOT certificate and was driving unaccompanied.

Defending, Barry Lynam told the court that McKiernan was a 48-year-old man who had just purchased the vehicle on the Saturday prior to the accident. Normally he would get a lift into work with a colleague but, on this occasion the lift didn't arrive and McKiernan succumbed to temptation and took the vehicle to the road.

The conditions were wet and the car came off the road. Damage to a telegraph pole cost £1,500 and McKiernan had entered into an arrangement with BT to repay the restitution on a monthly basis. He asked the RM to take this into account when sentencing.

For driving without insurance, Ms Kelly imposed a £100 fine and disqualified McKiernan from driving until tested.

For failing to display 'L' plates she imposed a £20 fine. For driving without a vehicle test certificate, she imposed a £50 fine while for driving without supervision, she imposed a further £50 fine.