Police saw car being driven without lights illuminated ... and then it crashed into garden hedge in Ballymena

POLICE saw a Renault Clio being driven without lights illuminated on at Galgorm Road in Ballymena and the vehicle then entered Smithfield Place at speed and crashed into a garden hedge.

The incident involved Costinel Ionut Cioica (24), of Hill Street in the town, on May 20 this year.

Police detected a strong smell of intoxicating liquor and there were a number of beer bottles in the vehicle.

The defendant had an alcohol in breath reading of 67 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.

Then, on June 6 this year, police were tasked to a two vehicle collision at Linenhall Street in Ballymena involving the defendant in a Clio and this time he had an alcohol in breath reading of 87.

At Ballymena Magistrates Court the defendant admitted two charges of driving with excess alcohol.

A defence lawyer said the defendant is a Romanian national who has been "living here around a year".

On the first occasion the defendant had been drinking with friends and had been returning home to get paracetamol for a headache, the defence lawyer said.

The second occasion involved the defendant taking a chance to drive home again, the court was told.

Deputy District Judge Anne Marshall banned the defendant from driving for three years and fined him £650 saying it "beggars belief" that he had offended twice in such a short time.