https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75l7x7ll9ro

Former DUP councillor Luke Poots has been fined £300 and been banned from driving for four months, after a judge convicted him of driving a tractor while using a mobile phone.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan told the court that he believed an account from two police officers that Poots had been seen using his mobile phone while driving on the A1 road on 11 June 2022.
One police officer said he could see Poots holding the phone in front of him “like using the loud speaker mode” and he could see his lips moving.
The judge said the ban would come in at midnight on Friday, as Poots had driven a tractor around 20 miles from his home in Lisburn to Craigavon Magistrates Court for the hearing.
Poots denied the charge and gave evidence on his own behalf.
He told the judge he was on the phone with his father, DUP MLA and Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots, checked was he using the hands-free phone.
"I said of course,” Poots recounted.
According to Poots the officers would not have been able to see whether he was holding his hand in front of his chest due to the height difference between a tractor and police car.
"I was on the hands free and it’s easy to say that someone wasn’t,” he told the court.
But the judge decided the police officers "were very clear and their hand motions were very indicative as to exactly what they saw".
Having imposed the fine and four month driving ban along with a £15 offender levy, the judge granted bail for an appeal but did not give permission for Poots to drive pending that appeal.

by zombiezero222

22 comments

  1. So he turns up to court in a tractor that no doubt is being driven with red diesel and zero road tax on the condition he’s using the tractor for agricultural purposes. What disgrace and arrogance shown. And nothing will be done.

  4. When I was young my parents use to complain about the hassle of overtaking tractors on the road, to drive a tractor would you need a special licence since they’re different from cars

  5. Banned from being a councillor, banned from driving – all because he thinks the rules are for the little people, not the ruling dynasties of the DUP. Vile.

  7. Ok, but why drive the tractor from Lisburn to the Craigavon courts? Does Cyril McDuff not own another vehicle?

  8. Little shit.

    I drive the A1 daily and it’s got enough hazards without some tit not paying attention while driving a 5 tonne agricultural vehicle.

    I’m actually shocked we’re seeing some consequences.

  12. Not a wee T90 or even a John Deere, but a £70k New Holland with little to no muck on it. Some folk just turn up to court in a Maybach…

  13. Probably wouldn’t have got a ban had he held his hands up and admitted it.

    But that’s not the DUP type

  15. Poots is the most ridiculous name I think I’ve ever heard. Sounds like the name of a character on a CBeebies programme.

    Who’s old enough to remember *The Flumps*…?

  16. Just like all the other tractor drivers, who’s fining them? I’ve yet to see a tractor driver not on his phone while driving.

  19. I thought you had to be on the phone to drive a tractor, no? Like it won’t move unless you’ve a phone to your ear.

  22. It’s an automatic 6 points on the licence for using a mobile while driving now. Don’t even touch it when you’re driving, not worth it.

    I’m assuming being on the A1 in a 7 tonne tractor resulted in the outright ban for this eejit.

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