A DISTRICT court judge said the public have to be protected from ‘unscrupulous’ drivers who have no insurance to operate as hackney drivers.
Judge Andrew Cody made the comment when fining Anthony Curran a total of €3,000 at Bandon District Court last week, after he was caught in a sting operation undertaken by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
Mr Curran (62) of Barleyfield, Kilbrittain pleaded guilty to driving without having a small public service vehicle and not having a licence to drive a small public service vehicle.
Solicitor Jason Teahan, representing the NTA, told the court the case arose out of information given to the NTA about an unlawful hackney service in the Bandon area.
On March 30th 2024 Anthony Carey from the NTA accompanied by Gda Ashling O’Connell, posed as passengers and rang the defendant to arrange a taxi to take them from Kilbrittain to Bandon.
‘Mr Curran arrived in an SUV and took them into Bandon as far as Oliver Plunkett Street. When asked by them how much the fare was, he said it was €20,’ said Mr Teahan.
‘At that point they identified themselves as authorised persons and he told them he was doing this to make ends meet.’
The court heard that he was co-operative and has no previous convictions.
Defence solicitor Éamonn Fleming said there are no taxis in this rural area and his client saw an opportunity to earn relatively small amounts of money.
‘He started off giving friends lifts and the matter slightly grew from that. He had insurance, but not for a hackney service, and he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity,’ said Mr Fleming, who added that his client, who is married with children, just does odd jobs, including selling ice-cream during the summer.
Mr Fleming asked Judge Cody not to disqualify his client from driving, due to him meeting the case fairly, and said it would be a severe impeachment as he lives in a rural area.
He said the experience of being in court would mean his client is unlikely to re-offend.
‘A disqualification would be a severe hardship for him,’ he said.
Judge Cody said the public needs to be protected from unscrupulous drivers who have no insurance. He convicted and fined him €1,500 on each of the charges. Mr Curran is also to pay NTA costs of €300.
Recognisances in the event of an appeal were fixed in the defendant’s own bond of €400, with half of that to be a cash lodgement.
