Portlaoise driver gave dead man’s name to gardaí
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FAMILY members of a deceased man who had travelled from London and from Belfast were at Portlaoise District Court this week, to find out why a local man used their late father’s name when he was stopped speeding by gardaí.
Two sons of the late Daniel Conn told Judge Susan Fay that they were in court to find out from Cormac McStay, Clonad, Portlaoise why he used their late father’s details, when he was stopped speeding at Clonad on 11 March.
Mr McStay had been due in court to answer a summons of providing false or misleading information to gardaí, at the time he was stopped.
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said that when he was stopped by gardaí, the 52-year-old provided a name and address in Belfast. He said: “The man’s name he gave was sadly deceased and the family was very upset over it.”
One of the two family members told Judge Susan Fay that they had travelled from London to Belfast and on to Portlaoise to be in court adding: “He used our father’s name. We are here to find out why he did that.”
The defendant’s solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said that his client was pleading guilty to the offence.
The solicitor said that he was unaware of the exact details of the case and, on hearing what transpired, didn’t know the family members had come to court. He wanted to express his condolences to them.
Mr Fitzgerald said Mr McStay was unable to be in court due to work commitments and described his client’s actions as “a nasty act”.
“We took time off work to be here and he couldn’t turn up,” said one of the family.
Judge Susan Fay adjourned the case to 22 June and in the meantime instructed Mr Fitzgerald to inform Mr McStay that he is to take part in the Restorative Justice Programme and “let that process take its course”, before she passes sentence on the accused.
She also informed family members that there was no need to be in court on the adjourned date.
