Castlewellan man forced police Land Rover to stop

Castlewellan man forced police Land Rover to stop

A CASTLEWELLAN man has been convicted of careless driving after forcing a police Land Rover into an emergency stop during an ill-judged overtaking manoeuvre in Seaforde.

Damien Peter Brannigan (38), of Newcastle Road, was at Downpatrick District Court on Monday to contest a single charge of dangerous driving at Newcastle Road on January 31.

The charge arose when he overtook a slow-moving tractor and trailer while approaching the crest of a hill and was unable to safely complete the manoeuvre due to the approaching police vehicle.

Brannigan admitted carrying out the overtaking manoeuvre but told the court he did not accept he had forced the police to a sudden stop, but rather said they had slowed down to give him space to complete his manoeuvre.

However, three police officers, who were in the police vehicle at the time, told the court they narrowly averted a head-on collision when they spotted Brannigan driving towards them in their lane at 11.55am.

The driver said he was forced to make a quick stop to avoid a crash.

Brannigan told the court he had a clear 20-year driving record and said he considered himself a careful driver, who had never claimed on his insurance policy.

He also insisted he had been driving at 45mph when the incident happened.

Deputy District Judge Gerry Trainor said he believed Brannigan’s driving was careless rather than dangerous and said he would therefore convict him of the lesser charge.

Brannigan was fined £300 with five penalty points.