A dangerous driver was travelling a such high speeds on a carriageway that a garda patrol car sruggled to keep up with it, the Galway District Court heard this week.
Inspector Sean Glynn told the court last Monday that in the early hours of November 3, 2008, Jason Golding had reached a speed of 210kmph on a carriageway with a limit of just 60kmph and that pursuing gardai could not keep up.
Golding (36 ) with an address at 37 Inishannagh Park, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance or a driving licence and failure to produce insurance at Monivea Road.
Inspector Glynn said that at 2.35am gardai on traffic patrol in the Carnmore Cross area spotted the defendant’s car driving dangerously. They followed the vehicle in the direction of Galway city but had trouble keeping up with Golding. “The garda car was not gaining on it,” said Inspector Glynn who then explained that Golding took a sharp turn right at traffic lights and almost mounted a footpath in the process.
The court also heard that Golding has 25 previous convictions which include a four-month sentence and a 12-month disqualification imposed in April 2009 for driving without insurance and a four-year disqualification for a similar offence in October 2001. Golding is currently serving a total of 24 months for drug related offences.
Judge Mary Fahy explained that because 24 months is the maximum that can be imposed in the District Court it cannot be increased. Golding was then convicted and sentenced to a total of five months to run concurrently with the sentence already being served. He was also disqualified from driving for four years.
