A court has heard that the actions of a man who drove when he was almost three times the legal drink drive limit were "totally out of character".

At Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday it was heard that shortly before 7pm on November 13, 2022, police were on the Irvinestown Road, Enniskillen heading towards Enniskillen when a BMW pulled out 100 metres in front of them forcing them to brake hard and sound the horn.

Police followed the car and signalled for it to stop.

When speaking to the driver, Garry Armstrong (53), of Heather Glen, Enniskillen officers detected a strong smell of intoxicating liquor and Armstrong subsequently failed a preliminary breath test.

He was taken to Omagh Custody Suite where he provided an evidential reading of 103mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Nessa Murnaghan, a solicitor for Armstrong, told the court this incident was "totally out of character" for Armstrong who had been driving for over 30 years and had never been before the court with a clean driving licence.

Mrs. Murnaghan said Armstrong could not explain why he got into the car; explaining he was at Ballinamallard Football Club and said it was not something he had done before.

She said he appreciated the seriousness of the incident and apologised for his actions.

Weighing the high reading against Armstrong's clear record and guilty plea, District Judge Steven Keown disqualified him for 16 months and fined him £200 for driving with excess alcohol.