'Worst case I’ve ever seen!' – man gets 16 months for two car chases

“A FATHER-of-four who tried to escape gardaí after a disturbance but hit numerous parked cars with his van was sentenced to a 16-month prison sentence and a six-year driving disqualification at Naas District Court last week.

A tearful William Connors (26) of Moorefield Drive, Rathcoffey appeared this week (5 November) for sentencing in Naas District Court from custody where he had been held since the events of the evening of 17 October at Chapel View, Kilcock.

Mr Connors had racked up six counts of dangerous driving in one garda pursuit in 2022 before T-boning a stranger at a junction and ending up in a ditch.

“This is one of the worst cases of dangerous driving I’ve ever seen, without injury!” said Judge Desmond Zaidan.

He is also separately charged with a further eight counts of dangerous driving, failing to give his name, and having no insurance at Newtown Road, Maynooth on 12 November 2022, as well as a number of subsequent bench warrants after he absconded to Northern Ireland following the 2022 incident.

He was also charged with failing to control an unmuzzled breed of a dog who terrorized a neighbour in Rathcoffey on 13 March 2023.

However, this week he began with a personal plea to the judge.

“Sorry for wasting your time over those bench warrants,” he began.

“If you have a heart, Christmas is coming, and I have a partner out there in difficulty with our youngest child.” He pleaded: “Please, if you have a heart.” Sergeant Ruth Coleman outlined the most recent event in Kilcock.

“Gardai were called to a disturbance at 8.30pm on Chapel View,” she began.

“The defendant was in a van, tried to escape, hit a number of parked cars, gave his name as William O’Reilly, and had an English registration. There is still a drink driving charge outstanding.

“There are also a number of Section 53s (dangerous driving) from a similar incident on 9 November 2022 in Maynooth where he tried to evade gardaí again on Newtown Road, ran on foot, entered a garden, and was arrested there,” outlined the sergeant.

“Look! I count 14 Section 53s altogether,” said Judge Zaidan, holding up a sheaf of charge sheets.

“I want details of Maynooth. Was there a chase? Were there people around? Please put meat on the bones,” he asked.

“At 11pm at night, gardaí observed a male passenger shouting out the window of a van at three female pedestrians,” began Sgt Coleman.

“The van accelerated away aggressively, went the wrong way down a one-way street, crossed a continuous white line to overtake, went straight through a red light.

“He then failed to stop at a ‘Stop’ sign and was driving at such a high speed gardaí lost sight of him, before seeing him again cross a continuous white line to overtake.

“He failed to stop at a T-junction, before colliding with another car and ended up in a ditch.

“He escaped on foot and got through a fence into a private garden.

“He went back to the crash scene where Garda Kilmartin saw William Connors and identified him as the driver.” Sgt Coleman concluded: “William Connors said he was not involved in a crash, but he was unsteady on his feet, and Garda Kilmartin could smell alcohol.” “Fourteen counts of dangerous driving. I don’t think I’ve come across that before in my career,” commented the judge.

Sgt Coleman told how Connors and 28 previous convictions, including three for no insurance, two for obstruction, one for failing to remain at a crash site, and was still serving a ban from last year on the night of 17 November.

“William Connors is very pleasant and is not a dangerous man,” began his barrister, Sean Egan.

“He has substantive issues with driving and is simply a bad driver. He cannot control his baseline fear, and acts on a primal flight or fight instinct. It is beyond rationality.

“A ban is impending, so I’m not going to engage in futile exercises by arguing otherwise… “The court can take a specialised route and identify the root cause of my client’s problem. He is the father of four children, including a two-month-old.” “Look! He’s crying,” noted the judge, as Mr Connors’ accompanying prison guard got him tissues from the nearby witness box, and brought them to the dock.

“My client has done a number of deeply, deeply stupid things, but has the maturity to take responsibility on himself,” said Mr Egan, referring to Connors’ plea of guilty earlier in the week.

“He has spent three weeks on remand, so the short, sharp shock has been imposed.

Mr Egan added: “This is a very pleasant, good person, with issues about driving.” The judge commented: “This is multiple counts of dangerous driving in a town centre, and it’s even a miracle you walked away from it.

“He skipped bail, then gets arrested for dangerous driving again - this is appalling behaviour.

“He was a danger to the gardaí, to people walking home, but if you want to dice with death, do it yourself.

“I need to send a message to the public that the court is protecting them.

“Your fate is in my hands, and I’m sending you to prison, but when you come out of jail it will be with every part of your body intact.

“I could throw the book at you, but I won’t because of what Mr Egan said, and because you did indicate a guilty plea to me this week.

“I was going to impose an enormous sentence, but I’m going to give you 16 months in prison, backdated to 17 October.” As he imposed a six-year driving ban, the judge added: “I should disqualify you for life, so you’re very lucky.

“This is one of the worst cases of dangerous driving I’ve ever seen, without injury!

“Fourteen counts of dangerous driving, all starting from abusing innocent women on the street.” 

The judge set an appeal bond at €4,000 - €2,500 of which must be an independent surety.