A drunk ex-army motorcyclist, caught driving while disqualified and nearly three times the legal limit, has received a road ban of six years and a three month jail sentence.
Raphael Meehan (42 ) with an address at 4 Cluain Ard, Ballybrit, appeared at Galway District Court this week where he pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving without a driving licence and insurance at Doughiska Road on September 29, 2010.
Inspector Mick Coppinger told the court that at 6.40pm a motorbike was seen driving in an erratic manner on the Doughiska Road. The defendant was stopped and arrested on suspicion of drink driving and later gave an intoxiliser reading of 101mgs of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
Meehan’s solicitor said that his client, a father of three children, had served 23 years in the army before completing his service in 2009. He added that his client’s drinking problems returned after his father had been “given the last rites”.
Inspector Coppinger then told the court that Meehan has nine previous convictions which included road traffic offences. The court further heard that he received a conviction in 2004 for drink driving which was appealed in the Galway Circuit Court and he recieved an eight year disqualification from driving and a suspended sentence.
“He was driving while disqualified... He was three times over the limit. It’s unfortunate,” said Judge Mary Fahy who convicted Meehan and imposed a three month jail sentence and a disqualification from driving for six years. A three month sentence and a two year disqualification, both to run concurrently, was also imposed for driving without insurance while the remaining charge was taken into account.
