Omagh man caught drink-driving twice in three weeks

AN OMAGH man caught drink-driving twice within three weeks has received a four-year ban.

Lee Adams (22), of Shandon Park, was sentenced at Omagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that, shortly before 10am on June 22, 2024, police received a report of a suspected drink driver on the Cappagh Road.

A black Mercedes was located and stopped with Adams, who was the driver, failing a roadside breath test.

Later in custody, he gave an evidential sample of 81 micrograms of alcohol, over twice the legal limit.

Then, just three weeks later, at shortly after 12pm on July 14, a driver reported a suspected drink driver on the Tummery Road.

Police attended the area and found the car, which had stopped, with the defendant sleeping while the engine was still running.

He subsequently provided a sample of 103 micrograms of alcohol in breath, over three times the legal limit.

Police later attended with the reporting party, who showed them a video of Adams driving ‘erratically’, slowly and over the centre lines at bends in the road.

Defence counsel Brian O’Sullivan told the court that Adams faced many ‘difficulties’ at the time, including the loss of a friend, and had turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Mr O’Sullivan added that whilst the pre-sentence report assessed Adams as a ‘medium likelihood of reoffending’, he has the support of his family and accepted the seriousness of the offences.

District Judge Ted Magill said he ‘recognised (Adams’) difficulties but noted the short time between the offences.

Adams was also fined £250 and handed a four-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years.