A man who was over twice the legal drink driving limit had to swerve to avoid oncoming traffic, and hit a crash barrier, a court has heard.
On Monday at Enniskillen Magistrates Court, it was heard that at around 1.15am on September 26, Jack McGowan (20), with an address of Junction Road, Irvinestown, was coming around the bend of a road within the vicinity of the Irvinestown Road, Enniskillen.
As he came round the bend he crossed over the white line and had to swerve to avoid hitting a police car, before crashing into a barrier and coming to a stop.
McGowan took a preliminary breath test, which he failed, and he was arrested and taken to the Omagh Custody suite, where he gave an evidential reading of 76mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
His solicitor, Michael Fahy, told the court his client had been working in a bar that night and had taken a couple of drinks before driving.
There was exceptionally heavy rain that night and the shine from the headlights of oncoming cars resulted in McGowan losing control of the car, said Mr. Fahy.
He said McGowan had co-operated fully with police and said the loss of his licence will create "immeasurable difficulty" for him.
Deputy District Judge Laura Ievers told McGowan it was concerning that other road users had to take evasive action to avoid crashing into his car, and the amount of alcohol in the reading.
For driving with excess alcohol and driving without due care, McGowan was fined £200, and banned from driving for one year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here