E-scooter rider banned for drink-driving in Londonderry

A man who rode an e-scooter while more than twice the legal drink-drive limit has been banned from driving for a year.

Dylan Kineton, 29, of Merriman Court in Londonderry, also admitted driving the scooter without a licence or insurance and with excess alcohol at the city’s magistrates’ court on Thursday.

The court told he was seen riding the electric scooter along Clarendon Street in Dedrry on 22 February.

In addition to the 12-month driving ban, he has been fined £300.

The judge was told the police had stopped Kineton in Queen Street and noted his eyes were glazed and he admitted drinking alcohol recently.

An evidential breath test was conducted and 84 micrograms of alcohol were recorded in his breath.

The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

A defence solicitor told the court there are a lot of people “flying about Derry on these machines”.

Most, he said, failed to realise that both a licence and insurance are required.

He said people did not realise that they could be committing a criminal offence by riding these machines on the public road depending on the size of the engine.

“No one has any idea” as to the legal status of electric scooters, the solicitor said.