Caught driving twice without insurance on the same day

Stephen Patrick Rafferty, of Carrickyheenan Road, Brookeborough, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a motor vehicle without insurance on March 10 this year.

The court heard that, at 6.10pm, police stopped the defendant’s Vauxhall Astra at the Lough Yoan Road, Enniskillen. Records held by the PSNI indicated there was no insurance in place.

However, Rafferty showed the officers a screen shot of his insurance policy on his mobile phone and insisted he was insured.

The details were noted by the police, but subsequent enquiries confirmed that the policy had been cancelled on March 4.

Later on the same day, at around 10.10pm, the defendant was stopped by police once more, this time at the Knocks Road in Lisnaskea.

After he was cautioned with the offence on this occasion, Rafferty replied: “I’m sorry about this.”

When the outline of the facts had been completed, district judge Nigel Broderick asked the defendant: “Did you not know your insurance had been cancelled?”

Rafferty, who represented himself in court, told the judge that he had only recently moved out of his family home, but the letter from the insurance company informing him that his policy had been cancelled had been sent there.

After the judge asked why he had continued driving on March 10, the defendant said that he wasn’t aware at the time that the policy had been cancelled and he still thought he was insured.

He then confirmed that a valid policy was now in place in connection with his vehicle.

Rafferty conceded that he should have informed his insurance company when he had changed addresses.

He added that his licence was “very important” to him as he drove to work every day.

The judge observed that he would not disqualify the defendant on this occasion, but urged him to be “very careful” in future.

Mr Broderick imposed fines totalling £300, a £15 offender levy and six penalty points.