A chef who “got carried away” when Hollywood star Hugh Jackman was buying drinks for restaurant staff was handed a three year driving ban on Friday.
Imposing the three year ban and £200 fine on Noel Sharkey at Craigavon Magistrates Court, District Judge Michael Ranaghan quipped that “it’s the first time I have ever heard of Wolverine being blamed for offending.”
His barrister, instructed by Campbell and Haughey Solicitors, who handed the court her client’s Republic of Ireland driving licence, said he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Standing in the public gallery area of the court the 36-year-old, from Rathview Hall in Craigavon, admitted that when police were investigating whether he was driving with excess alcohol on the M1 on February 22nd this year, he failed to provide a specimen of breath.
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A prosecuting lawyer told the court it was around 10.25pm when police observed a black VW Tiguan stationery on the hard shoulder of the M1 near Lurgan.
The car’s engine was still running and officers spotted a man behind the vehicle urinating on to the grass verge at the edge of the carriageway.
“A strong smell of intoxicating liquor was smelled on his breath and his speech was slurred as he spoke. He was unsteady on his feet,” said the prosecutor.
At the roadside Sharkey failed a preliminary breath test but while in custody, he refused to provide an evidential sample of breath with no reasonable excuse why he wouldn’t do so.
Entering a plea in mitigation, Sharkey’s defence counsel conceded that “the facts don’t make great reading” but that the defendant wanted to apologise to the court for his behaviour.
“Whilst he did fail to provide the evidential sample he did provide a preliminary breath test and blew 60 at that stage,” said the barrister, suggesting that “this gives some indication of his level of intoxication.
“While the reading is high, it is not the highest reading Your Worship will ever have seen,” she said.
She revealed that Sharkey works as a chef at a restaurant in Holywood, which was not named in court, and that “on the day in question Hugh Jackman had actually come in and bought staff drinks.”
“Mr Sharkey seems to have got carried away Your Worship. He had one or two too many,” said the lawyer admitting that “it was an extremely foolish decision to go on to drive home” and one that will cost him his job as although he works in Holywood, he lives in Craigavon.
“The loss of his licence will also impact on his family life. This man is from Donegal. His parents and family still live there and he often drives back and forth to visit them,” she told Judge Ranaghan.
The judge said while he accepted that a three year driving ban is a long time to be off the road, given his previous offending he was obliged to impose the 36 month ban because “that’s the law.”
