Man was drunk in charge of his partner’s vehicle

A STRABANE man who was observed by police walking out of a bar and reaching into his partner’s car has been prosecuted for being drunk while in charge of a vehicle.

Patrick Gavin Darren McColgan (31), of Altiskane, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a preliminary breath test and being in charge of a vehicle with excess alcohol in breath at Hillmount Grove in the town on September 30, 2021.

Strabane Magistrates Court heard police had observed the defendant opening the door of his partner’s white Audi after he had left a local bar. The keys to the car were in his pocket, the court was told.

Although he refused to provide a preliminary test, he took an evidential breath test at the custody suite, which returned a reading of 60 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – a total of 25 in excess of the legal limit.

Defending counsel, Joe McCann, told the court that, on the night in question, his client had walked over from a bar and was seen reaching into the car by the police.

Mr McCann said that when the defendant was initially asked for a breath test at the scene, he replied, “Show me the evidence.”

But the barrister stressed McColgan did do the evidential test later on.

District judge, Steven Keown, fined the defendant a total of £350, imposed ten penalty points on his licence and ordered him to pay a £15 offender levy.