A MOTORIST caught speeding at 95mph between Bellanaleck and Derrylin was doing errands and “running late”, Fermanagh Magistrates Court has heard.

Adam Cathcart (32), of Derrylin Road, Bellanaleck, pleaded guilty to driving at excess speed in a 60mph limit on May 15 this year.

The court heard that a police mobile patrol travelling along the Derrylin Road observed a Mercedes S320 car driving in excess of 60mph. Officers obtained a reading of 95mph using a Puma speed detection device – 35mph in excess of the legal limit.

After the defendant was stopped and cautioned, he made no reply.

A fixed penalty notice could not be issued due to the high speed, the court heard.

The defending solicitor told the court that her client fully accepted that the speed that he had been travelling at was “disgraceful” and there was no justification for the offence.

She said that Cathcart, a self-employed architectural designer, had errands to do in Derrylin and was “running late”.

In mitigation, the lawyer said that the incident had occurred on a “relatively straight” stretch of road, it had been a clear evening and there was “little traffic worth talking about”.

Urging the judge not to impose a disqualification, she said that the defendant’s licence was essential to his work.

Conceding that he had a relevant record for speeding, and was caught doing 80mph on the previous occasion, the solicitor said it had been six years since his last court appearance.

District judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that the defendant had been driving at a very high speed that was just “five miles short of 100mph”.

The judge said that speed was a “major contributor” to accidents and he had to impose a disqualification as a deterrent.

Taking into account Cathcart’s previous conviction in 2009, the judge Mr Broderick fined him £400, ordered him to pay a £15 offender levy and disqualified him from driving for six weeks.