(An edited version of this piece was published in the Sunday World September 14th 2014)

Pizza box and vomit attracted police

A medical student who had planned to sleep in his car and catch an early-morning bus to Dublin has pleaded guilty at Omagh Magistrates Court to being drunk in charge.

A prosecution lawyer told the court the attention of police was drawn to a car in an Omagh car park when they saw a pizza box on the roof, and a mat covered in vomit at the driver’s door. They found Fearghal James O’Neill asleep in the driver’s seat. He smelled strongly of alcohol and, when tested, was over twice the drunk-drive limit.

A defence lawyer told the court that O’Neill had planned to catch an early-morning bus to Dublin in order to collect a passport. He said O’Neill was a first-year medical student in Dublin. Judge Bernie Kelly imposed a three-month driving ban on 19 year old O’Neill, of Lettergash Road, Dromore, and fined him £250.