A 62-year-old drunken driver has admitted assaulting a man who took the car keys off him to prevent him driving any further.

Gerald Cunningham, of Cleenish Park, Enniskillen, pleaded guilty at Fermanagh Court to driving dangerously, after consuming excess alcohol and assaulting Kevin Martin.

A fourth charge, that he tried to damage or destroy a Mini car belonging to Katie Mulhern was withdrawn.

He was fined £600, banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay Mr. Martin £100 compensation.

District Judge Nigel Broderick said Mr. Martin had to be commended for doing what “a responsible citizen should do” in taking the car keys off a drunken driver.

A prosecutor told the court that at approximately 10.40pm on Sunday, August 31, last year, police were called to Cleenish Park after a member of the public reported a suspected drunken driver. The officers arrived to find Cunningham’s car parked outside his house and a man and woman with him. The witnesses described how they had seen him driving along the Derrylin Road from Bellanaleck to Enniskillen in a dangerous and erratic manner, constantly swerving from one side of the road to the other. There was a smell of alcohol from Cunningham, he was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. He failed a preliminary breath test. He was taken to Enniskillen Police Station, where an evidential sample produced an alcohol reading of 104 - three time the legal limit of 35.

The court heard that Mr. Martin took the car keys off Cunningham to prevent him driving any further. Cunningham then tried to retrieve the keys, grabbing Mr. Martin by the arm and in doing so damaged his watch and causing him “some minor injuries”.

When Cunningham was cautioned for dangerous driving he said he was suffering from hypoglycaemia, that his blood sugar level had dropped drastically but he had continued driving.

Defence barrister Heather Philips said the manner of Cunningham’s driving was not disputed, but pointed out that there was no collision.

The District Judge said it was “remarkable there wasn’t” given that for four or five miles Cunningham was, to use common parlance, “all over the road”.

“How he didn’t cause a collision and kill himself or others is quite remarkable,” stated the District Judge.

Miss Philips said Cunningham felt his blood sugar level was dropping and did not have his medication with him.

The District Judge wondered why Cunninghim didn’t think of telephoning someone for help.

Miss Philips said Cunningham had been taken “a few drinks”.

She said he had been driving since 1967 with no convictions and this was obviously a significant blot on his record. He was very regretful, embarrassed and remorseful.

The District Judge said Cunningham had a high alcohol reading and clearly should not have been behind the wheel of a car. It was “quite remarkable” there was no collision, but that was perhaps more by chance than design.

He told Cunningham that if there had been a collision and someone had been injured the case would have been heard in a Crown Court where he could have been facing a jail sentence of five years.