Armagh man fined and disqualified from driving

An Armagh man who drove a car without a licence while high on cocaine was fined £1,200 and was disqualified for three years.

Martin Gerald Pierce McParland, 39, pleaded guilty to three charges at Lerwick Sheriff Court for the incident which happened three years ago.

The court heard how McParland — appearing remotely from Stranraer — was stopped on Lerwick's Ladies Drive on 10th April 2022. At the time he was disqualified from driving.

Police officers found McParland had 26 microgrammes of cocaine in his blood. The limit is 10 microgrammes. He also had 480 microgrammes of benzoylecgonine — a chemical compound that is produced when cocaine is metabolized in the body — in his system. The limit is 50 microgrammes.

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