A man has been given a three-year driving ban after a flat tyre drew the attention of gardai to his drink driving.
Jason Rogers was put off the road when he appeared at Buncrana District Court.
Rogers, a 40-year-old whose address was given as Pound Street, Carndonagh, was charged with an incident at Cullineen, Redcastle on October 23, 2022.
Sergeant Sean McDaid told the court that gardai observed a vehicle, which had a flat tyre, ‘sweeping all over the road’ at 7.05pm.
Rogers initially gave gardai a false name, telling them he was John Whelan.
Officers noticed that the accused’s eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred. A subsequent breath test showed 96mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
The court heard that Rogers has previously been disqualified for driving without insurance and for driving while disqualified. Rogers also has previous convictions for driving without a licence and has also been convicted under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Mr Frank Dorrian, solicitor for Rogers, said his client traveled from Cork to have his case heard. Mr Dorrian said Rogers was involved in a ‘matrimonial break up’ in Cork and came to Inishowen – ‘as far away as one can get’.
“His circumstances deteriorated and he was living in a car,” Mr Dorrian said. “Such were his circumstances and with that came an inability to attend to deal with insurance matters and the like. He was in despair and his attention to detail was elsewhere.”
Mr Dorrian told the court that Rogers is no longer drinking, living in Letterkenny and working as a plasterer. “This entire episode was borne out of reduced circumstances,” Mr Dorrian said.
On the drink driving charge, Judge Éiteáin Cunningham convicted Rogers and fined him €200, allowing five months to pay. Rogers was also handed a three-year disqualification from driving.
For providing gardai with a false name, Rogers was fined €150.