Two men who took a mad notion to travel around Carlow in a stolen car while drunk, found themselves before Judge William Harnett at Carlow District Court this week. Athy man Jamie Devereux (21 ) and Castledermot man Ger Perse (20 ) were before the court on charges relating to an incident on the Athy Road on July 21, 2008.
At 2.15am gardaí responding to an accident on the Athy Road, found Mr Devereux travelling as the passenger in a stolen vehicle being driven by Mr Perse. Defending solicitor Brendan O Flaherty said Mr Perse had been drinking in Castledermot when he happened upon a car in which the spare key was stored. “He had taken lots of drink and decided to go driving in Carlow. He phoned Mr Devereux who had been drinking in Athy and offered him a lift to Carlow. Mr Devereux did not know the car was stolen,” he said. The court heard that both men are currently unemployed. Judge Harnett fined Mr Devereux €450 for allowing himself to be carried in a stolen vehicle. He then fined Mr Perse €400 for driving a stolen car and disqualified him from holding a licence for two years. He then adjourned the theft charge for a probation officer’s report to query suitability for community service. “These men are very young,” said Judge Harnett.