The captain of a merchant vessel has been sacked after he was found to be drunk in charge of a boat.
What happened?
The skipper of the ship, an Estonian man Juri Ting was summoned at Belfast Magistrates Court where he admitted a charge of consuming excess amount of alcohol.
He was handed over a sentence of 6 months in prison plus a suspension of 2 years by District Judge Ken Nixon.
Unable to control boat:
On Tuesday, the court heard that at 6.40pm by Belfast Harbour Police were tasked to the Harbour Estate following reports that the captain of a vessel was unfit to control the boat.
A representative from the PPS said that when harbour police attended, their suspicions were confirmed. The skipper was arrested after he failed a breath test.
Statement by defence counsel:
Defence counsel Sean O’Hare said that as a result, Ting has lost his job. Revealing that Ting came before the court with a clear criminal record, Mr O’Hare said his client had been employed in the shipping industry since 1990 and had worked his way up to the position of master – a post he has held for four years.
Mr O’Hare also said that when arrested, there was “no actual risk to the public,” that Ting was not loading or unloading, and that the vessel was not due to leave Belfast. The barrister said that while Ting admitted he had been drinking, he had cooperated with police and admitted his responsibility.
Mr O’Hare concluded by saying Ting would now be returning to Estonia where “he will try and rebuild what is left of his life.”
District Judge Ken Nixon said: “Taking account of all of the circumstances outlined, I am sentencing him to four months, which will be suspended for two years.”
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Source: Irish News
