A 36-YEAR-OLD Enniskillen man who was found in charge of a vehicle while almost three times over the legal alcohol limit has been banned from driving at Fermanagh Magistrate's Court.
District Judge Liam McNally heard how at 5.40pm on November 26, Michael Adrian Keown, from Willoughby Place, was at a filling station on the Shore Road, Enniskillen. He picked up a small bottle of vodka and when he went to pay for it, the cashier could smell intoxicating liquor off him. He was unbalanced on his feet.
He was seen by police to emerge from the shop and head towards a vehicle. Police observed him getting into the car and put the lights on. Officers then intervened and seized the car keys. Keown failed a preliminary breath test and a subsequent sample revealed 133 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milligrams of breath, a reading prosecution outlined was almost three times the legal limit.
Self-represented, the defendant said he was sorry for the offence. He said he had made a foolish mistake. He said he only lived a half a mile away from the filling station and could have walked but decided to drive because he was waiting on his partner to arrive home and he was preparing dinner.
Mr McNally said the reading was very high. He said he would consider his early plea. For the offence, he imposed a £300 fine and a 15-month driving disqualification.
Southern driver gets points
A 22-YEAR-OLD Leitrim woman has been fined £200 and has had six penalty points endorsed on her licence after a number of motoring charges brought her before Fermanagh Magistrate's Court.
District Judge Liam McNally heard how at 12.00 noon on November 26, Karen Bannon from Darraugh, Garidice, was driving a Peugeot 106 when she was stopped at a police vehicle checkpoint. She had a valid Southern provisional licence and 'L' plates were displayed on the car.
The provisional element meant she was neither licensed or insured to drive in the North. She told police that she didn't realise that her insurance was cancelled out by the fact that she had a provisional licence. Self-represented in court, she reiterated this fact to the judge. She said she worked part-time in a hotel.
For having no licence, Mr McNally imposed an 18 month conditional discharge. For no insurance, he imposed a £200 fine and six penalty points.
'Impartial' used as petrol bomb wick
A PETROL bomb has been thrown at a house in Abbey Drive in Enniskillen.
The incident was reported to police shortly before 6.00pm on December 9.
A youth wearing a hoodie was observed throwing the petrol bomb which landed in the drive of the property but failed to ignite. A bottle and a lighter were found close to the scene.
Police used a tracker dog who tracked back to where the petrol bomb had been assembled. The wick for the petrol bomb was made from the Impartial Reporter newspaper. Part of the newspaper was found in the neck of the bottle while the rest of the paper was found 180 metres away from the scene.
