A man asked to hand in his driving licence at Ballinasloe District Court so the registrar could note details for the imposition of five penalty points expressed alarm as he thought his licence was being taken from him.
The Judge had to explain that the licence was only needed for a minute to allow for his details to be noted, much to the relief of the defendant.
He had been caught driving without insurance by Gardaí, and he explained to Judge James Faughnan that he was under financial pressure at the time because his young twins were ill and he simply couldn’t afford to pay for his car insurance.
He added that he was from Latvia and had been living and working in Ireland for seven years. He worked for a large retailer and sometimes drove a van for work. He was well aware of the consequences of his actions, he told the Court.
Judge Faughnan said he was just going to impose a fine this time and there would be no driving disqualification, but warned him that if he came back before his Court again on a similar charge his licence would certainly be taken from him.
This article is funded by Comisiún na Meán.
