Insufficient funds to cover insurance payments has resulted in a 33-year-old man being found guilty of using a motor vehicle without insurance at Fermanagh Magistrates’ Court.

Kyle Armstrong, Mantlin Road, Tattykeel Lower Kesh, was only aware payment to his insurance company had not been made when police carried out a check on his car.

The court heard on August 19, a mobile police unit on the Sligo Road observed a vehicle partly concealed in Stewart’s car park.

When police approached the car, they observed that the engine was running and the defendant was in the driver’s seat.

Officers carried out check on the car which showed that the insurance had expired.

Armstrong checked his online banking and saw that due to insufficient funds the direct debit had not been taken from his account.

The defendant was cautioned by officer but made no reply.

A solicitor representing Armstrong told the court that a pre sentence report had been compiled at the request of the judge as this was the fourth time Armstrong had been charged with having no insurance.

He continued that the last time this had happened had been in 2009.

Armstrong’s solicitor told the court his client had not been aware that the payment had not been made but he fully accepts that it is up to him to make the payments.

He added his client is a diabetic, which the insurance company and driving authority are aware of, and because of this he pays a higher premium on his insurance.

Since the incident the defendant had found insurance cover which was much cheaper and he paid this in full to avoid anything like this happening again.

He asked the judge, that despite his client’s record that the court deal with this as a one-off.

District Judge Michael Ranahan was handed a letter of reference on behalf of Armstrong which he described as “very fulsome”.

In handing down sentence, Judge Ranahan told Armstrong he was lucky he was not disqualified as four no insurance charges are a matter which risks the loss of a driving licence.

However he continued that the custody threshold had not been met.

District Judge Ranahan handed down an 18 month Probation Order and a £200 fine to Armstrong. He concluded by telling him to try and avoid reoffending because if he did he could face prison.