Laois man fined €400 for fraudulent tax and insurance discs
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A 23-YEAR-OLD man has been fined €400 and given a six-month driving disqualification after appearing before Carlow District Court on charges relating to fraudulent tax and insurance documentation. Brian McCarthy, The Maisonette, Ballylinan, Co Laois pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of a tax disc and an altered insurance disc on 15 August 2024.
The court heard that during a routine garda checkpoint on Greenbank Road, Carlow, Mr McCarthy’s vehicle was stopped and found to have what appeared to be invalid documentation. The tax disc had expired 147 days prior, and upon closer inspection, both the insurance and tax discs appeared to have been altered.
The fraudulent documents were seized by gardaí and produced as evidence in court.
Defending solicitor Joe Farrell described the forged documents as “not very clever copies” and “amateur” in appearance. He told the court that his client claimed the discs were already in the vehicle when he bought it.
Mr Farrell described the situation as “a comedy of errors”, noting that his client had parked the vehicle directly opposite the garda station while taking a driving lesson, suggesting he was unaware the documents were fraudulent.
The court was told that Mr McCarthy had three previous convictions, the most recent being a public order offence and section 2 assault at Athy District Court on 9 May 2023.
Judge Patricia Cronin questioned whether there had been any investigation into the original owner of the fraudulent discs, but was told there had not been. She noted that Mr McCarthy was “somewhat lucky” that he faced charges only for fraudulent use of documents rather than additional charges for driving without tax, as the fake tax disc had actually expired.
However, Judge Cronin emphasised the seriousness of the offences. “These are serious matters,” she said. “Driving without insurance, with false documents … it’s everyone else who pays a premium on their insurance” when such incidents occur.
She pointed out that while the fake documents may have been in the car when Mr McCarthy bought it, he remained responsible for ensuring he had valid tax and insurance, particularly as he was a provisional licence holder at the time.
Judge Cronin convicted Mr McCarthy on both charges, imposing fines of €200 for each offence, giving him six months to pay the total of €400.
Initially considering a one-year driving disqualification, the judge reduced this to six months after hearing from Mr Farrell that his client had an upcoming job interview for which he needed his driving licence. The driving disqualification was set on fixed recognisance of €200 in cash
