Man was more than four times the drink limit

A man believed to have had one of the highest ever road side drink drive readings in Northern Ireland has been banned from getting behind the wheel for four years and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work as a “direct alternative” to a prison term.

James McCurdy (48), of Ashbrook Park in Balnamore near Ballymoney, was more than five times the limit after he was found slumped in a vehicle which crashed around 12.30pm on February 25 this year.

He crashed into another car which had stopped at road works at Balnamore Road and at the scene McCurdy registered 185 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit being 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His later evidential breath sample at a police station was 156 micrograms of breath per 100 millilitres of breath.

The defendant appeared at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Monday for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to driving with excess alcohol in his breath.

A prosecutor said police were called to a report of a vehicle being involved in a collision and the defendant was slumped over and was so drunk he had to be lifted out of the vehicle by officers.

McCurdy, who had been alone in his vehicle, was unable to walk and his speech was slurred and he was unable to respond to questions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The prosecutor said another driver had stopped at road works when he noticed a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which veered onto grass and back onto the road before carrying straight on into his vehicle.

When interviewed by police McCurdy had no recollection of what happened.

The prosecution lawyer said that during the interview the defendant showed no remorse about what could have happened.

Defence barrister Thomas McKeever said it was accepted the case was aggravated by the high reading.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The lawyer told the court McCurdy suffered from arthritis and took medication for that and for his mental health which had mixed with the alcohol.

Mr McKeever said the defendant had a previously clear record and was a “man of good character” who worked as a mechanic and stood to lose his job.

“He is extremely remorseful today and very relieved no one was injured,” the solicitor added.

District Judge Peter King said he was “entirely at a loss” to understand both the offence and the defendant’s initial reaction to it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He told McCurdy: “You were more than four times over the limit by the time you were breathalysed at the station.

“At the side of the road you were five times.”

For someone with no record it was an “astounding piece of offending” the judge said and he added that the Community Service was a “direct alternative” to jail.