Magherafelt drunk driver who made off after collision found ‘soaking wet and covered in mud’

Before the court was twenty-three-year-old John Maguire, from Salters Bridge, who was fined a total of £200 with a £15 offender’s levy and banned from driving for four years for driving while having consumed excess alcohol, failing to stop at the scene of a damage only accident, failing to report, and failing to remain.

The court heard that on March 11 this year at approximately 8.50pm a member of the public reported to police a three-vehicle collision in the vicinity of St Patrick’s Street, Draperstown. Prosecuting counsel said “substantial damage” was caused to all three vehicles.

The lawyer said that the driver of the first vehicle told police he was waiting to turn right across the street to park when he was hit side-on by another car which continued, colliding with a parked car and the front of the Euro Spar supermarket.

He said police were told the three occupants in the car had made off and checks carried out by police showed that the last registered owner was Maguire, whose mobile phone was found in the footwell of the vehicle.

Counsel said police called at the defendant’s home address and he appeared “soaking wet and covered in mud”. He provided a breath specimen which showed an alcohol reading of 67 mcgs.

He said forensics taken from an inflated airbag linked Maguire to the vehicle and CCTV captured him driving off from the back car park of a public house in Magherafelt. The lawyer said Maguire gave a no comment interview.

A defence lawyer said someone with Maguire’s record should have known better than to be driving. He stressed that he has not wasted the court’s time and had entered a guilty plea at the first opportunity.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan remarked that Maguire had two previous convictions for excess alcohol and said he appeared to have “no regard for the road traffic regulations.”