Missed a payment for his insurance

Cailum Hanna, Bolton Road, Armagh, had his case dealt with last Thursday at Banbridge Magistrates Court.

He was fined £150, ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy and given six points for not having insurance.

With nine points already on his licence on the tot up system he was disqualified from driving for six months.

The court heard that at 11.45am he was driving on the Newry Road in Rathfriland and checks showed there was no insurance in place. Hanna believed he was covered but it transpired the policy had been cancelled due to a non payment.

A barrister representing the defendant said he genuinely had the view that he was covered by insurance.

But, he added, there were not enough funds to make a payment on December 16 in the run-up to the Christmas period.

The lawyer added that usually there was a warning from the insurance company and his client was adamant there was no delivery of any warning.

They had asked the company for a copy of the relevant notification but they were not in a position to furnish it.

He added that since this incident Hanna had not been driving and his father and mother have been taking turns to get up at six in the morning to drive him to Newry where he gets a lift to his work as a labourer.

District Judge, Mr Paul Copeland, told Hanna he was ‘learning the hard way’ about the importance of keeping a close check on driving authorisation which was a very important part of his responsibility as a driver.

He added that otherwise the defendant was an industrious and responsible young man.