Prison warning for man who drove when his child was late for school

Connor Mark King, Meadowbrook, Craigavon, was fined £100 last Wednesday at the local court for driving uninsured on December 14 last year.

He was also banned for 12 months and ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy.

A concurrent 12 month ban and a £50 fine were imposed for not having a licence and he was fined £50 for not having a vehicle test certificate.

The court heard he was stopped at 10am on the Tandragee Road in Lurgan and checks showed the test certificate had expired on October 31.

King admitted he did not have insurance and that he had recently bought the vehicle.

He had previously been disqualified and failed to re-sit his test. The vehicle was seized.

Mr Philip Reid, representing King, said his client had two previous no insurance convictions.

He explained that the defendant always had a provisional licence but had never got round to passing his test.

Mr Reid added that he had purchased the vehicle with a view to passing the test.

On this day, he continued, King’s child was late for school and he took a chance to drop the child into school.

Deputy District Judge John Rea said this was King’s third offence for driving without insurance and if he came back again for a similar charge he would find himself close to a period of imprisonment.