Public contacted police about drink driver

After they were contacted by a member of the public police stopped a 42-year-old man who was driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Oliver Francis Devlin, Corbally Old Road, Katesbridge, was banned from driving for 16 months last Thursday at Banbridge Magistrates Court.

He was also fined £200 and ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy for driving with excess alcohol in his breath on January 21 this year. The court heard that at 9.30pm a concerned member of the public contacted police about an intoxicated person getting into a vehicle in Banbridge.

On route to the scene police saw the vehicle in Church Square and they stopped it on the Castlewellan Road.

Devlin was driving and there was a strong smell of intoxicating liquor from the car and from him.

He failed a preliminary breath test with a reading of 119 and in Lurgan custody suite an evidential test gave a reading of 97.

A solicitor representing Devlin said that in the last few months he had been taking steps to address his issue with alcohol.

District Judge, Mr Paul Copeland, said that the defendant had a conviction for a similar offence but it was of some vintage.

He added that the reading was quite high which suggested a significant degree of intoxication.

The judge certified Devlin suitable for the drink driving course which if he completes it would reduce his ban to 12 months.

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