Ferrari driver banned in Northern Ireland for speeding to see dying mum
- Published
A County Fermanagh man who drove a Ferrari at high speed in a bid to see his dying mother in hospital has been given a 12-month driving ban.
Niall McNulty, 46, from the Sligo Road, Enniskillen, was also fined 拢600 for dangerous driving.
The court heard a police car reached speeds of up to 140mph to keep up with the red Ferrari on the M1 motorway.
Police followed when they spotted the car on the M12 in Portadown, County Armagh.
Craigavon Magistrates' Court heard that police patrolling the M12 on 4 August, saw a red Ferrari join the motorway in an "abrupt manoeuvre, cutting in front of preceding vehicles".
A prosecutor said the driver pulled into lane two "before speeding up significantly" and the police decided to follow.
The court heard the Ferrari pulled on to the M1 "where the driver continued to accelerate" and, at times, the unmarked police car reached speeds up to 140mph to keep up.
'Only concern was mother's health'
Eventually, the police were able to catch up with the Ferrari and pull the vehicle over.
McNulty was charged with speeding and dangerous driving, but prosecutors withdrew the excess speed charge after he admitted dangerous driving.
A defence lawyer said McNulty had received a call that he needed to get to hospital in Enniskillen where his mother lay seriously ill.
He said that McNulty's mother "sadly passed away a few days later".
The lawyer said that by McNulty's manner of driving "'his only concern was for his mother's health rather than the rules of the road".
District Judge Francis Rafferty described the speed as "outrageous".
Having heard that McNulty's father is an undertaker, he told the defendant he "could have created multiple clients for your father".