Northern Ireland snooker star Mark Allen banned from driving on speeding charge
Northern Ireland snooker star Mark Allen has been banned from driving for a month and has been fined £500.
The 39-year-old, with an address listed on a charge sheet as The Grange in Antrim town, did 60mph in a 30mph speed limit at 10pm on July 8 this year. The detection was at Belfast Road at Antrim town.
The defendant was present at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena on Tuesday. The court heard he already had two "endorsements" for speeding on his licence.
A defence lawyer handed in a reference from the chairman of a charity - The Mark Allen Foundation - of which the defendant is a patron.
The defence lawyer said it is accepted the speed on a "wide road" had been "excessive".
The lawyer said the defendant is a carer for his mother and he had gone to see her and "quite distressed" had "not realised" the speed he was doing.
The lawyer said the loss of his licence would "have a massive impact" on the defendant as he takes his mother to and from hospital and does the school run.
District Judge Nigel Broderick told the defendant: "I accept that the work you do in terms of your Foundation charity is a credit to you.
"I have read the reference from the Foundation Chairman and it is quite clear that at your own expense you have put a lot of money back into the community".
The judge said the defendant had been doing double the speed limit and police and medical services say if somebody is hit at that speed "the chances of serious injury if not fatality are greatly increased".
Judge Broderick said there had to be a deterrence to stop other drivers doing such a speed.
He said "I am not singling you out for special treatment" as he said he also tells that to other motorists caught doing similar speeds.