Man was over three-and-a-half times legal limit when going for cat food

A man was more than three-and-a-half times the legal drink-driving limit when caught by Gardaí while going to buy cat food.

Martin Sweeney, a 67-year-old of Ailt Aoibhinn, Meenawiller, Derrybeg, was stopped by Gardaí on November 24, 2020 at Gortahork.

Inspector Seamus McGonagle told Falcarragh District Court that Gardaí received an anonymous report of a male driving while intoxicated.

Gardaí were on patrol in the general area and observed a vehicle driving in an erratic manner.

Sweeney was arrested and conveyed to Milford Garda Station where a sample showed a reading of 183 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood - 3.66 times the legal limit of 50/100.

Solicitor for Sweeney, Mr Michael Gillespie, said his client, a retired construction worker, had been drinking for three days beforehand, but had consumed no alcohol on the day in question.

“He was attending a shop to get cat food,” Mr Gillespie told the court. “His local shop was closed to he drove to Gortahork. He has faced up to the fact that he has a drink problem and attended a residential course, which he is anxious to finish.”

Judge Brendan O’Reilly convicted Sweeney and banned him from driving for a period of three years. Sweeney was also fined €500.