A 24-YEAR-OLD man apologised to police when he was stopped for driving 26 miles over the national speed limit on the Belfast Road.

Mark Dickson, of Slatmore Road, Clogher, was handed six penalty points in Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday for driving with excess speed, and for having no insurance.

A Public Prosecution Service representative told the court Dickson was observed by police on January 26 at 7:40pm travelling at 86 miles per hour in his Volkswagen Golf on the A4 Belfast Road, Maguiresbridge.

He was stopped and spoken to by officers, who handed him a fixed penalty notice for excess speed. When stopped, Dickson told them: “I’m sorry.”

Dickson was ordered to produce his documents at Enniskillen PSNI station, and checks showed he did not have a valid policy of insurance.

Defence solicitor Michael Fahy said that Dickson had been asked to provide his insurance company with proof of his no-claims bonus, and as he had failed to do so, this had invalidated the insurance cover.

Mr. Fahy told the court that Dickson had been experiencing some difficulties as his business venture had failed and he had moved back home with his parents.

He suggested that Dickson’s circumstances had “got on top of him”, and added: "It was a case of not forwarding all the paperwork [to the insurance company].”

Mr. Fahy told the court that Dickson had since regained employment, which involved a 60-mile round trip from his home address.

District Judge Steven Keown credited Dickson for his early guilty plea, and handed him six penalty points and a fine of £500.