A Northern Irish visitor has been fined £500 after riding his KTM 300 off-road bike against the Mountain Road one-way system.

Thirty-six-year-old bricklayer Jordan Wallace must pay the fine, plus £125 prosecution costs, immediately or face up to 40 days in prison.

Prosecuting advocate Harry Bellis told the court that Wallace was riding with friends when they entered the Mountain Road from Green Lanes, at 1pm on June 1.

Wallace lost sight of his group and after passing The Bungalow, he turned around and started riding back against the one-way system.

After being stopped by police and arrested, he said that he’d only just arrived and didn’t know the road.

Wallace said he went past The Bungalow, but then saw his friends had parked, so he rode back, and claimed he hadn’t seen any signs.

A police statement said that Wallace’s bike had not had any lights on, despite thick fog, so they had initially radioed ahead to the Creg Ny Baa, to stop him there, before they saw him riding back.

In court, Wallace, of Brookland View, Doagh, Ballyclare, admitted failing to conform to a traffic sign.

Defence advocate David Clegg said this had been a similar situation to another defendant who’d appeared in court the same day.

Wallace said his lights had been working, but he believed that water must have got into them on the trail.

Mr Clegg said there’d been no suggestion of the defendant riding quickly, and he hadn’t been charged with anything relating to his lights.

The advocate said Wallace had never been to the island before and had no idea he was on a one-way road.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood said she had taken into account that the defendant had spent a night in the cells, and that it had been a misunderstanding, rather than a flagrant breach.