Two Laois people provided taxis without required licence or insurance

TWO people were prosecuted at Portlaoise District Court last week for operating taxis without the required licence or insurance.

The court heard from officers from the National Transport Authority (NTA) who carried out covert operations in two parts of Laois after receiving information that two people were providing taxi services without proper licences.

In the first case, the NTA officer told the court that on 19 July last year following information received, he phoned Bernard O’Neill, 20 Birchfields, Bog Road, Portarlington and asked to be driven from The Hawthorn Inn to the Anvil Inn in Portarlington.

On arrival at the Anvil Inn, the officer said when asked how much he wanted for the fare, Mr O’Neill told him €5.

The officer said he identified himself to Mr O’Neill, who told him he was not doing it to make much money but to get out and to clear his head.

Asked by Judge Andrew Cody where had the officer received the information that Mr O’Neill was providing an unlicenced taxi service, he replied: “The information was received on a confidential basis.” Garda Dillon said that he received a phone call from the NTA officer at 9.45pm that night, who informed him that Mr O’Neill had taken a fare from him without a proper licence. He said the defendant’s licence and insurance were in order but that his insurance did not cover him to provide a taxi service.

Defending solicitor Philip Meaghger said his 58-year-old client had not worked for the past 15 years due to health issues.

He said his client began the service by bringing a couple of friends home to different areas of the town now and again. But then they began ringing him more often asking for him to bring them home and they got into the habit of calling him out.

“He wasn’t trying to make any great gain from it,” said Mr Meagher.

The court heard that Mr O’Neill has no previous convictions.

Judge Andrew Cody convicted the defendant of operating without the required Public Service Vehicle (PSV) insurance and to operating without the required licence and fined him €250 on both offences. For driving while uninsured, he was sentenced to one month in prison suspended for three years and instructed to make a €400 contribution to the NTA to cover its costs.

The second and separate case involved Amy McCartney (35), Anantrim, Coolrain.

She, too, was charged with operating a taxi service without the required licence and insurance.

Another NTA officer told the court that he, too, was carrying out a covert operation after receiving intelligence of a service being operated without a licence.

He said he was on duty on 6 March this year and phoned Ms Cartney’s number at 7.35pm that night asking to be brought from the Fountain House Bar in Mountrath to the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise.

On arrival at the hotel, the officer said he was charged €20 for the fare. He said he identified himself to the defendant, who said she had no PSV licence to drive a taxi.

The court was told that Ms McCartney has no previous convictions.

Her solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said that her client was fully compliant with both the NTA officer and gardaí, who had no further issues with her.

Ms Fitzpatrick said: “She used to give people lifts here and there, but it got a little bit bigger and got a little bit out of hand.

“She works as a postal sorter and intends to apply for her driving licence and hopes you leave her driving and don’t impose a disqualification, as she lives in an isolated area.” Noting the car involved was an 11-year-old Jaguar, Judge Cody convicted Ms McCartney of operating without the required Public Service Vehicle (PSV) insurance and to operating without the required licence and fined her €250 on both offences. For driving while uninsured, she was sentenced to one month in prison suspended for three years and instructed to make a €400 contribution to the NTA to cover its costs.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.