A twenty-two year-old man who lost control of the vehicle he was driving in excess of the speed limit was sentenced to five months in prison.
Ger Hamm with an address at Chapel Street, Ballinakill, Co Laois, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance at Finnan, Ballyraggett on November 10, 2007.
Garda Thomas Ware told Castlecomer District Court this week that a number of witnesses had observed the defendant driving at speeds in and around 100 kilometres in an 80 kilometre zone.
The court heard that a passenger in the car had asked the defendant to slow down, while another passenger told gardaí afterwards that he was using gears instead of the brakes to slow the vehicle down.
Garda Ware also told the court that the car then spun out of control ending up on the wrong side of the road and facing the wrong way around. Garda Ware added that after, the driver had checked to see if everyone was ok he told his passengers to get back in the car, but it wouldn’t start. Emergency services subsequently arrived at the scene and brought both passengers to St Luke’s Hospital. Neither passenger was seriously injured in the incident.
Judge William Harnett fined the defendant €1,600, disqualified him from driving for five years, and sentenced him to five months in prison for dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
Judge Harnett also fined the defendant €1,500 for driving without insurance, driving without a valid driving licence, and non-display of a tax disc at Ballyconra on September 25, 2007.
