Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By John Smith •
Published: 14 Nov 2024 • 17:50
• 1 minute read
There are some records that no-one in their right mind would boast about as Irishman with 126 convictions for road offences is jailed for driving once again whilst drunk.
Ignored lifetime driving ban issued in 2006
That’s not all, Patrick Morgan was actually given a lifetime ban from driving in 2006 but simply ignored it.
The 50-year-old from Co Derry was stopped by police and as they could smell alcohol on his breath, they gave him a roadside test which came up double the legal driving limit.
Once this was confirmed, the entire story started to unfold as he advised police of his ban, the fact that he was driving without insurance and had taken his partner’s car without her consent.
When the case came to court, the Magistrate made it clear how shocked he was with this case and Morgan’s application for bail was refused even though his lawyer contended that he had behaved much better in the previous three years.
District Judge Nigel Broderick who may sit in a magistrate’s court commented that given Morgan’s “atrocious record”, “there is too high a risk that you might drive having taken alcohol and, if you did that, it is reasonably foreseeable that you could cause an accident and that could result in serious, if not fatal, injuries”.
“I am not prepared to take a risk of you being on the road over the Christmas period,” Judge Broderick added.
No bail, four months in jail and another ban
After a brief break whilst the judge consider his decision, he returned to court and imposed a four-month jail sentence and a further five-year driving ban to run concurrently with the lifetime ban and although these offences took place in Ulster, Morgan could simply have crossed the border to the Republic of Ireland at any time causing mayhem.
During the case it was also revealed that apart from his driving offences, the defendant also had a further 131 convictions for other transgressions during his lifetime.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica.
Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene.
Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development.
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