A 34-year-old man did not know the insurance payments on his vehicle had been cancelled when he was spoken to by police, a court has heard.

On June 22, 2020 at around 6.30pm police observed a Nissan Navarra parked in a layby on the Lisnagole Road, Maguiresbridge.

Mark Morrow, with an address of Stonepark Road, Brookeborough was in the driver’s seat and had the engine running.

Officers asked him to produce his driving licence and insurance as checks on the vehicle showed there was no insurance in place.

Split

Morrow told officers that his father-in-law-usually paid the insurance but he had recently split from his wife and it must have been cancelled.

Morrow’s solicitor, Michael Fahy, told the court that due to the breakdown of his marriage the insurance payments made by Morrow’s father-in-law had been stopped unbeknownst to his client and that when he found out he had taken out another insurance policy within 48 hours.

Mr. Fahy said his client’s licence was pivotal to him for work and to visit his children.

District Judge Steven Keown said he would not be interfering with Morrow’s driving taking into account the circumstances and early plea.

He then issued a £500 fine and six penalty points for using a motor vehicle with no insurance and failing to produce a driving licence.