Speeding in boss's van near Letterkenny leads to driving ban

An Armagh man caught speeding in his boss's van in Donegal on Sunday morning has been banned from driving for two years after he was found to be more than twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Matthew Traynor appeared before a special sitting of Letterkenny District Court on Sunday afternoon.

The 28-year-old, of Edenderry Drive, Armagh, was detected by gardai at Rossbracken at 10.30am on Sunday travelling at 130km/h in a 100km/h zone.

Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that gardai subsequently stopped the Citroen Berlingo being driven by Traynor.

Officers detected a strong smell of alcohol from the vehicle.

Traynor was arrested and conveyed to Letterkenny Garda Station. A breath test showed a concentration of 48 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath – more than twice the legal limit of 22 microgrammes.

Sergeant Collins said Traynor was “fully co-operative and apologetic”.

Mr Patsy Gallagher, solicitor for Traynor, said his client had stayed with some from the rally fraternity on Saturday night and was driving his boss's van.

“He was stopped, shown the gun and the rest follows on,” Mr Gallagher said.

Judge Éiteáin Cunningham convicted Traynor and fined him €200. Traynor was also disqualified from driving for two years.