A MAN who drove into Bandon to collect his girlfriend after she was involved in a road traffic collision ended up being prosecuted for drug driving and having no insurance in a case a district court judge described as a ‘bit of a magical mystery tour.’
Ryan Elliot of College Place, Strand Road, Derry pleaded guilty at Bandon District Court to driving without insurance and a driving licence as well drug driving.
Sgt Tom Mulcahy told Judge Philip O’Leary that on January 1st last gardaí stopped the defendant driving a black Audi by St Finbarr’s Place after noticing the car had a broken front light and the wheel had a spare tyre on it. He was asked to produce his driving licence.
He did not have one and gardaí carried out an oral fluid test on him, which he failed after testing positive for cannabis.
‘He was arrested and brought to Bandon Garda Station where he provided a blood specimen to a designated doctor which showed he was over the limit,’ said Sgt Mulcahy.
The court heard that the defendant failed to produce his driving documents at a later date and it emerged that he was disqualified from driving at the time.
Defence solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client, who works in the area, had been at home when his girlfriend rang to say she had been involved in a road traffic collision.
‘She rang him in a panic and he came into Bandon from Kinsale and then to Bandon Garda Station where he was detected separately,’ said Mr Taaffe, who said his client shouldn’t have been driving.
Judge O’Leary said it sounded like a ‘bit of magical mystery tour’ and disqualified him from driving for two years on the drug driving charge and convicted and fined him €150 and gave him four months to pay the fine. He also convicted and fined him €250 on the no insurance charge and €100 for driving without a licence.
