Lottery winner Ryan Magee gets new driving ban
- Published
Ryan Magee bought a Ferrari after winning the lottery seven years ago
A former multi-millionaire lottery winner now said to be "several steps behind square one" has been banned from driving and given community service.
Ryan Magee, 34, pleaded guilty to driving a Ford Focus along city's Foyle Bridge in Londonderry last year while disqualified and without insurance.
He was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service, disqualified from driving for five years and fined £250.
Magee, from Eglinton, won £6.4m in the EuroMillions lottery seven years ago.
He spent £170,000 on a Ferrari sports car days after the lottery win as well as a house equipped with a champagne bar.
The house is currently up for auction.
Magee's legally aided barrister told Londonderry Magistrates Court that the defendant's life in recent years could be summed up by saying "every silver lining has a dark cloud".
"He has found himself not back at square, one but several steps behind square one. He has appreciated somewhat late in the day his responsibilities to others, particularly in terms of his driving," he said.
The barrister said his latest offending typified a degree of foolishness and said in recent years he had been traumatised by his misfortunes as a result of recent events in his life.
'Yep, that's right'
A prosecution lawyer said that on 4 December 4 last year police officers on mobile patrol saw Magee driving the Ford Focus car along the Foyle Bridge at 20:40 GMT.
"They knew him to be a disqualified driver as he had been disqualified last August for 18 months for driving matters," the solicitor said.
When stopped by the police Magee replied to them "yep, that's right", when they asked him if he was driving while disqualified.
A judge said Magee's criminal record of 17 previous convictions, 12 of them for road traffic offences, was appalling. He said some of those convictions had led to driving disqualifications.
"You are clearly a menace not only to yourself but also to other road users. You were five months into an 18-months disqualification period for failing to provide a specimen when you committed these offences. That causes me a huge amount of concern", he told Magee.
The judge told Magee that if he failed to comply with the 200 hour community service order, he would send him to jail for six months.