Took car for a spin in preparation for his driving test

But when he was stopped by police he had to tell them he was not covered by insurance.

Jonathan Finnegan, Lissize Avenue, Rathfriland, was fined £150 and banned for three months for driving without insurance on January 22 this year.

He was ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy.

For driving unsupervised he was fined £150 and given a concurrent three month ban while he was fined £25 for not displaying ‘L’ plates.

The court heard that around 9pm police saw a car reversing at Dromore Street, Rathfriland. They spoke to the defendant as checks revealed there was no insurance.

Finnegan informed police he was not insured and was a provisional licence holder.

There were no ‘L’ plates displayed and the passenger in the car was not a qualified driver.

A solicitor representing the defendant said he had bought the car in anticipation of doing his driving test.

He added that temptation got the better of Finnegan and he took the car for a spin. The vehicle was seized by police and he had to buy a new one.

The solicitor said that the defendant had since passed the test and now had insurance.