A MOTORIST was fined €450 for a careless road manoeuvre near Baltimore.

Seins Vizulins (24), of Townhsend Street, Skibbereen, pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving at Skibbereen District Court.

The court heard that on August 13th just after 10 am, an off-duty garda witnessed the offence at a T-junction near Baltimore.

Sgt Tom Mulcahy said the guard had seen a large amount of smoke rising close to the junction.

Sgt Mulcahy said: ‘The officer saw the rear of a blue BMW making a sudden loop around the junction. The officer saw the car do a doughnut.’

The BMW then travelled on towards Skibbereen at speed until it reached a red light near Creagh. The off-duty guard followed the car but eventually lost sight of it.

Defence solicitor Flor Murphy said: ‘He came out on to the junction and his wheels spun. He does not accept it was a doughnut.’ The court heard that Mr Vizulins, originally from Latvia, went to school in Skibbereen, aand is currently working as a welder fabricator for a local engineering business.

Mr Vizulins was ordered to pay a €450 fine, with four months to pay. Judge Joanne Carroll reduced the original charge of dangerous driving to one of careless driving.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.