Belfast DUP councillor pleads guilty to drink-driving charge

A Democratic Unionist Party councillor has been disqualified from driving for 12 months after pleading guilty to a drink-driving charge.

Thomas Hogg appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday in connection with the incident which happened on April 29th.

Hogg, a former Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, got behind the wheel of his car in an “act of kindness” to help a stranded friend, defence solicitor Keith Gamble said.

Mr Gamble told the court his client had been drinking at a barbeque before going to bed.

“A few hours later he got a phone call from a friend in some level of distress, saying they were stranded in town, couldn’t get a taxi and were concerned about their safety,” the lawyer said.

Hogg then decided to get into his car to pick his friend up, with the court told he initially felt groggy behind the wheel as a result of having been asleep.

Weaving

The 30-year-old was stopped by police on the city’s Crumlin Road, the court heard. The prosecuting lawyer said officers stopped him after noticing his car weaving on the road and a breath sample showed he was more than two times over the legal limit.

Hogg, of Brae Hill Park in Belfast, feels “shame and remorse” over the incident, said Mr Gamble, who stressed that the defendant had not travelled far before coming to police attention.

Hogg was elected as a councillor of the DUP in 2011 and served as Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey for two consecutive years from 2014.

In 2016, he was awarded an MBE for services to local government.

“He’s had to face up to this in another arena than this court,” Mr Gamble said. “This is not in any way within the normal scope of his character...He’s a gentleman one would have expected to have gone through life completely unfamiliar with the court process.”

Following submissions District Judge Fiona Bagnall imposed the 12-month driving ban, a £250 fine and a £15 offender levy.