A Ballycastle man has been disqualified from driving for 12 months after pleading guilty to using a vehicle without insurance and without a valid vehicle excise licence.
Trevor McMullan (38), of Moyarget Road, Ballycastle, appeared before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Friday, October 9. The court heard that he had 36 previous convictions, including 22 road-traffic offences and five previous convictions for driving without insurance.
The offences arose on April 6, when police officers on mobile patrol shortly after 7pm observed a black Skoda Octavia. Checks showed that the vehicle was uninsured and was also being used without a valid vehicle excise licence.
The vehicle was stopped and McMullan provided his details. The prosecution said he told officers that his mother had been dealing with the vehicle’s administration. He was later cautioned for both offences and the vehicle was seized.
The court heard there had been no suggestion that McMullan failed to co-operate with police.
Defence barrister Mr Marks said his client believed his mother had arranged insurance for the vehicle, which was shared between them. He said McMullan had been collecting a friend from work in Portrush and taking them to Ballycastle.
Mr Marks also told the court that McMillan carried out farming work, including transporting potatoes between Ballymena and Portrush using a tractor and trailer. He said his client also collected his son from Ballycastle at weekends.
The defence argued that McMullan needed his driving licence for employment and family commitments. Mr Marks asked the court to consider imposing penalty points and fines, or a short period of disqualification.
However, District Judge Peter King said McMullan’s previous record meant penalty points were not an appropriate option.
The judge noted previous convictions for driving without insurance had resulted in penalty points, a 12-month disqualification, a further six-month disqualification and, on one occasion, a period of imprisonment in connection with other offences.
“You have a terrible driving record,” Judge King told McMullan, referring to convictions including defective lights, driving without a licence, taking a vehicle without consent, driving while disqualified and failing to produce a licence.
The judge said he had considered the defendant’s guilty plea at the earliest opportunity but added: “This is not a case, sir, where I would remotely consider penalty points.”
McMullan was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was fined £300 for the insurance offence and £75 for the vehicle excise licence offence.
He was also ordered to pay a £15 offender levy, bringing the total financial penalty to £390.
Judge King warned McMullan not to drive during the disqualification period, stating that the court could have considered a suspended prison sentence given his driving history.
