Downpatrick driver fined over careless driving on A1
Daniel Noel Murray, 64, of Bishops Brae Court, Downpatrick, was fined £350 and given six penalty points after admitting careless driving on the A1 dual carriageway near Banbridge, with the court hearing he had a previous careless driving offence from 2017.
DANIEL Noel Murray was fined £350 and given six penalty points after admitting careless driving on the A1 dual carriageway near Banbridge.
Murray, 64, of Bishops Brae Court, Downpatrick, appeared before District Judge Natasha Fitzsimons at Banbridge Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse, on November 5.
The court heard that the incident happened at around 9.10am on February 18, 2026, as a vehicle travelled along the A1 from Newry towards Belfast.
Dashcam footage showed Murray overtaking another vehicle before pulling in front of it without indicating. He then began braking sharply.
When interviewed by police on July 4, Murray said he drove the road every day and that his indicator had not been working. He said the incident had happened some time earlier and he could not remember the drive, adding that he could not see any dangerous driving in the footage.
Defence counsel said Murray accepted that his driving had been careless, describing it as a momentary movement into the outside lane. The court heard he had a previous careless driving offence from 2017 and had entered his guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.
Judge Fitzsimons said the driving amounted to careless rather than dangerous driving, but was at the higher end of the scale.
Murray was given six penalty points and fined £350, with a £15 offender levy. He was given 16 weeks to pay.