A 62-YEAR-OLD man was caught drink driving after police observed his car straddling the central white line of the road after leaving Belleek, Fermanagh Magistrates Court has heard.

Sean Gerald McCaffrey, of Mulleek Road, Belleek, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol on his breath at Boa Island Road on October 13, 2017.

The court heard that, at 1.20am, police observed a Peugeot 206 exiting the village of Belleek on to the Boa Island road.

Officers brought the vehicle to a stop after it straddled the white line of the road.

They detected a strong smell of intoxicating liquor and it was also noted that his speech was “slow and slurred”, the court heard.

An evidential breath test taken at the station returned a reading of 86 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath - a total of 51 micrograms in excess of the legal limit.

A Public Prosecution Service (PPS) representative revealed that the defendant had one previous conviction “of some vintage”.

Defending solicitor, Martin Corrigan, told the court that his client was a farmer who had been driving for over 40 years.

The solicitor said that it was 30 years since the last entry on McCaffrey’s record.

In mitigation, Mr. Corrigan said that the defendant had “fully cooperated” with the police after he was stopped.

The solicitor said that, on the night in question, McCaffrey had met some friends and he made the error of accepting an invitation to go for a drink and had consumed “a few pints”.

District judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that the offence had been aggravated by the “high” reading in the case, which would be reflected in the penalty imposed.

The judge added he would give the defendant credit for entering a guilty plea.

Mr. Broderick fined the defendant £300, ordered him to pay a £15 offender levy and disqualified him from driving for 14 months.

McCaffrey must remain disqualified until retested.

Meanwhile, he was certified as a suitable candidate for the drink driving course and will be eligible for a discount in his ban of up to 25 per cent upon successful completion.