A 56-year-old lorry driver who has been on the road since 1969 without any previous convictions has admitted charges of fraudulently using a vehicle registration mark and driving without insurance and a goods vehicle test certificate.

Brian O'Neill of Gort Road, Coagh has been fined £375 and had six penalty points endorsed on his driving licence for the offences.

The magistrates court was told police saw a Ford Iveco lorry reversing away from a vehicle checkpoint and stopping on the Drumenny Road, Coagh on September 15 last year. On investigation they discovered the registration mark on the vehicle did not correspond with the chassis number. The defendant subsequently admitted it belonged to another lorry.

Defending solicitor Kieran Toal said O'Neill had been driving since he was 17 and had 'no convictions of any kind.' His brother has the same type of lorry and as his own was not 'PSVed' he had switched plates in hope of deceiving police if he was stopped. Mr Toal added that his client accepted it was the wrong thing to do and not the type of behaviour he gets involved in.

RM Bernie Kelly said there had been an intention to deceive. She allowed O'Neill 16 weeks to pay the fine.