A Ballina man who drove his friend’s car without the owner’s permission, when drunk, and was involved in a traffic accident was fined a total of €1,300 and banned from driving for three years at Ballina District Court this week.
Garda Oliver Munnelly told the court that he was called to a traffic accident at Morrison Terrace, Ballina on March 23 2008 at 12.15am. When he got to the scene he spoke to Micheal Scanlon, Gurteens, Ballina who confirmed he was the driver of the car involved in the accident. He also told Garda Munnelly that he had no driving licence or insurance and he took the car without the owner’s permission. Garda Munnelly arrested Scanlon and brought him to Ballina Garda Station where he gave a blood sample which returned a reading of 295mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
Garda Munnelly told the court that Scanlon told him that he was drinking earlier in the day with the owner of the car who gave him the keys so he wouldn’t be tempted to drive it home, but the 30-year-old unemployed man decided to. Judge Mary Devins convicted and fined Scanlon €600 for drink driving and disqualified him from driving for three years, for taking the car without the owner’s permission she convicted and fined him €200 and for driving without insurance she convicted and fined him €500 and disqualified him from driving for one year to run concurrently with the other ban.
