AN eagle-eyed Garda on the public desk at Garda Headquarters in Galway spotted something not quite right about the insurance documents presented by a man facing several charges in relation to his driving.
The defendant was stopped by Gardaí who found he was driving on a provisional licence with no L plate displayed and unaccompanied by a qualified driver. Fixed charge fines were not paid, Judge Fiona Lydon was told, when the case in question came before Galway District Court.
Marin Roasta who now lives in Skibbereen, Co Cork opted to produce his certificate of insurance at Garda HQ. He was stopped while driving a blue Audi at Liosban on July 7, 2024.
Garda Sgt Damien Prendergast told the Court that the Garda at HQ became suspicious of the document presented to him. The wording and other details did not seem to be in line with insurance documents he regularly reviewed, so he decided to make further inquiries.
He contacted Zurich Insurance and they confirmed his suspicion that the document was not valid. Roasta’s barrister said he was pleading not guilty to the charge. He said his client was 28 and had five children and the defence would argue that his client’s insurance actually did check out.
The Court heard Roasta had received a suspended sentence for theft from Bandon Court last year. Two bench warrants had already been issued for the defendant. Judge Lydon imposed a fine of €400 on the driving unaccompanied charge and adjourned outstanding issues to Derrynane Court. She warned the defendant the he had better turn up even if he had to come back from Skibbereen.
This article is funded by Comisiún na Meán.
