A DRUNK man who was found asleep in a ditch near his parked car and refused to provide police with a breath specimen has been banned from driving for three-and-a-half years.

Colin Fisher (50), of Broomhill Road, Newtownards, pleaded guilty to driving while unfit, dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen and two counts of having a defective tyre at Killadeas Road on July 12, 2017.

Fermanagh Magistrates Court heard that, at 5.10am on July 12, a member of the public reported seeing a car driving along Killadeas Road with two flat tyres.

When officers eventually located the vehicle parked at the side of the road, they observed that two of the tyres had “disintegrated” and the metal rims were clearly visible.

The defendant was subsequently found sleeping in a ditch nearby, the court heard.

When he was roused from his sleep, Fisher was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were glazed and his speech was slurred.

After he was arrested and placed in a police vehicle, the defendant became “aggressive” towards the officers.

He was taken to the custody suite, but did not comply with police instructions when asked to provide a sample of his breath.

Defending counsel, Stephen Fitzpatrick, told the court that it was clear from the pre-sentence report prepared in the case that his client accepted that this was a “very serious” matter.

The barrister said that the defendant had been fishing with his son in the Enniskillen area over a period of days.

Mr. Fitzpatrick claimed that, during that time, Fisher had eaten little food, but had been drinking some alcohol and taking prescription medication.

The barrister said that the police had been able to obtain one breath reading from his client, which had measured 89 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath - well over twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Mr. Fitzpatrick told the court that his client, who had “no recollection” of the incident, had struggled with alcohol difficulties throughout his life.

In mitigation, the barrister said that Fisher had entered guilty pleas at an early opportunity and was now taking steps to address his alcohol issue.

District judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that the offence had been aggravated by the defendant’s relevant previous convictions for similar matters involving alcohol and driving.

Taking into account his failure to give a breath sample, the judge told the court that “clearly” Fisher was in no fit state to be driving, given the condition of the vehicle and his high reading.

“Only by good fortune, you didn’t cause an accident,” Mr. Broderick said.

Giving credit for his guilty pleas, the judge ordered Fisher to carry out 120 hours of community service and banned him from driving for three-and-a-half years.

The defendant must remain disqualified until retested.

Mr. Broderick also fined Fisher a total of £100 and ordered him to pay a £15 offender levy in respect of the two bald tyres on his vehicle.