Confrontational Laois motorist given three five-year driving bans
Portlaoise Courthouse
A MOTORIST who became confrontational with gardaí and took off when he was pulled over for having no insurance was given three five-year driving disqualifications at Portlaoise District Court last week.
Alan McCabe, Ard Eirn, Mountrath was not present in court when his case was called.
He was summonsed with driving without insurance, dangerous driving, refusing to provide details to gardaí and with driving without a driving licence at Morette.
Giving evidence, Garda Kieran O’Keefe said that while on mobile patrol on the M7 at Togher, Portlaoise, he was altered by his Automatic Plate Number Recognition device that an approaching Audi car had no insurance cover. He said the car exited at junction 16 to avoid him and back onto the motorway, where he was then initially stopped at Morette.
Garda O’Keeffe said that while speaking with the driver and seeking his identification, the man became confrontational and drove off. He said that he followed in the patrol car and observed Mr McCabe driving erratically, braking and weaving in and out of traffic. He was given instructions to step down from the pursuit.
The defendant was eventually stopped driving on the Main Street in Naas, where he was arrested.
Judge Andrew Cody convicted the accused on all the four summons, fined him €500 and disqualified him from driving for five years for driving without insurance, €750 for dangerous driving and €750 for refusing to provide his details and disqualified him from driving for five years on each of the two summons. He was also fined €500 for driving without a licence.
