A 50-YEAR-OLD man who was nearly four times over the legal limit when he made a “foolish decision” to drive home from the pub has been banned for two years.

Kenneth Sheridan (50), of Granshagh Road, was charged with driving with excess alcohol on his breath and without a valid licence at Arney Road, Enniskillen on September 5 this year.

Sheridan entered guilty pleas to both offences when he appeared before Fermanagh Magistrates Court on Monday.

The court heard that, on the night in question, police had set up a vehicle checkpoint on Arney Road. Officers observed the defendant, who was driving an Isuzu pick-up, turning into a private laneway around 10 to 15 metres away from the checkpoint.

After stopping and speaking to Sheridan, police detected a strong smell of intoxicating liquor coming from his breath. He told them that he had been drinking at a pub in Arney.

Following a failed preliminary breath test, the defendant was conveyed to Enniskillen custody suite. When he produced his driving licence at the station, it emerged that it had expired on July 10 this year.

A subsequent evidential breath test returned a reading of 128 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – a total of 93 micrograms in excess of the legal limit.

Defending solicitor, David Buchanan, told the court that his client was a farm labourer who had been socialising with friends in a nearby pub on the night of the incident.

Mr Buchanan said that the defendant had missed his lift and took a “foolish decision” to drive the “absurdly short” distance to his home. He added that Sheridan had not been trying to avoid detection by the police; rather his house was located along the private laneway.

In mitigation, the solicitor said that the defendant had fully cooperated with the police and had a limited, but very relevant, record. Highlighting that his client had travelled less than half-a-mile, Mr Buchanan said the loss of his licence would have a “profound effect”.

Turning to the issue of the defendant’s licence, the solicitor said it had only expired by around two months and described the failure to renew it as an “administrative oversight”.

District judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that there had been an “extremely high” reading in the case.

Taking into account a previous conviction in 2004 for a similar offence, the judge imposed a £300 fine, a £15 offender levy and a two-year driving disqualification.

For not having a valid licence, the defendant was fined a further £50 and received a concurrent three-month ban.

Mr Broderick also ruled that Sheridan must remain disqualified until retested.