A1 crash driver was four times over the limit

A Banbridge man who crashed his car on the A1 dual carriageway was almost four times the legal drink drive limit, heard the town’s Magistrates Court last Thursday.
courtcourt
court

Robert Graeme Ferguson (43) from Bannview Heights, was banned for a year and fined £300.

The court heard how on 2 August at 4.55am police were on patrol of the carriageway when they detected a Ford Fiesta mounted on the verge and facing into a hedge.

Ferguson was in the driver’s seat, the keys were in the ignition and there was a strong smell of intoxicating liquor from his breath.

Officers also noted his eyes were glazed and his speech slurred.

A sample revealed 127mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

When cautioned, he replied, “I shouldn’t have done it.

“I have no idea where I was going, I was stupid.”

Deputy District Judge Ms Brady remarked that Ferguson was almost four times the legal limit when detected.

A solicitor said her client worked as an optical assistant and had been going through a difficult and emotional time in his personal life.

She said that on the evening in question he had been “feeling depressed” and drinking alone.

She explained how he ran out of cigarettes and decided to drive a short distance to buy some.

She told the court he actually had turned the car around to come home when the accident happened.

The court was told that Ferguson was “not someone likely to be in trouble in court again.”

Judge Brady deemed Ferguson a suitable candidate for the drink drive offender’s course which if successfully completed, will see his period of disqualification reduced to nine months.

He was also told to pay an offender’s levy of £15.

Related topics: