By Garrett Hargan
Reporter
A man caught breaching the traffic lights he had earlier installed has been fined at Derry Magistrates Court.
Sean Kelly, 31, of Moyglass Place in the Strathfoyle area of the city, admitted breaching a traffic sign and failing to produce a driving license on November 22, 2017.
At 1.30pm on that date on Woodvale Road in Eglinton the defendant was driving towards Eglinton Village.
Police were behind him as he approached a set of temporary traffic lights which he breached after passing traffic waiting at the lights. The 31-year-old was subsequently stopped when the PSNI vehicle turned on its sirens and flashing lights.
When asked if he saw the road lights Kelly said: “Yes, I installed them.” He had been working in the area and explained that he was ‘in a rush to get lunch’.
'Some clown'
Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley described it as an ‘unusual’ offence and said ‘the difficulty was that police were behind him’. He added that there was ‘no avoiding his record’ but appealed for any credit he was entitled as it was an offence that lost Kelly his job.
Passing sentence, District Judge Barney McElholm said: “One of the most annoying things that can happen when you’re waiting at lights is to see some other clown sailing through.”
He added, ‘some jobs have perks’, but said he would take into account the fact Kelly lost his job. The 31-year-old was fined £125 and given three penalty points.
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