Driver escapes six-month driving ban

Chris Donegan • Published 13 Feb 2012 15:12

A 27-year-old man has escaped a six-month driving ban because he needs his car to get to work.

Richard Walter Veitch, of Graffey, Enniskillen, already had six penalty points on his licence when he appeared at Fermanagh Court and admitted driving without insurance. The offence attracts six penalty points which would have resulted in a six-month disqualification.

However, District Judge Nigel Broderick said that by reason of references he had read and the fact that Veitch's licence was essential to his job he would ban him from driving for two months instead of giving him penalty points.

He also fined him £620 for driving without insurance, licence and vehicle test certificate.

A prosecutor told the court that on Wednesday, September 14, last year, police stopped Veitch driving a Citroen Saxo on the Sligo Road, Enniskillen. A check revealed the car was not insured.

Defence solicitor, Miss Julie Cooper, said Veitch's previous insurance expired in May and his licence in July and hadn't been renewed.

She handed in a number of references including one from Veitch's employer and said people relied on him to drive every day.

The District Judge said that primarily because Veitch had to drive some distance to get to work and an apprentice relied on him for a lift he would impose a two-month ban rather than the six penalty points that would have resulted in a six-month ban.

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