Laois gardaí had to confiscate drunk driver's sulky
Image for illustration purposes only
A MAN who was drunk and driving a sulky gig at 10.15pm with no lights or reflectors on became abuse towards gardaí when they told him that they were seizing the gig and horse.
The incident took place on the N80 between Stradbally and Portlaoise at Ballyclider on 20 August.
Patrick McInerney from 1 The Springs, Kilminchy, pleaded guilty to being intoxicated and to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at the time.
The court was told that while on duty gardaí saw two sulkys driving along the road with no lights or reflectors on them. When Mr McInerney was told that his horse and gig was going to be seized, he became abusive and had to be arrested. The next morning, gardaí said that the defendant, who had four previous convictions, was ok to deal with.
Defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said it was a summer’s evening and that her client and another person had gone out in their sulkies.
She said what annoyed her client at the time was that he kept his horse in a nearby field 500 metres from where he was stopped and did not take too kindly being told that it and the gig was going to be seized.
She said that Mr McInerney had to pay €1,20 to retrieve his horse from the pound, to which she said: “He has paid a huge price already.” Judge Susan Fay asked that probation and community service assessment reports be carried out on the defendant and adjourned the case to 23 February.
***Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme***
