A man was fined €500 after he pleaded guilty to a careless driving offence after having a more serious dangerous driving offence struck out by the judge at Ballyhaunis District Court this week.
David Staunton, Castlecarra, Clogher, Claremorris, was detected by Garda Padraig O’Gara travelling at 171kph on a straight stretch of road at Cloonfad, Co Roscommon at 7.32pm on April 16 2008.
Garda O’Gara told the court that he was at the location carrying out a speed check and when ordered to stop it took Mr Staunton 30 metres to stop after he was directed to by the garda. Continuing his evidence he said that when he spoke to Staunton the defendant told him that he didn’t see the garda until he went past him because of the setting sun which was affecting his vision at the time.
Solicitor for Staunton, Aidan Crowley, put it to the garda that Staunton had given him a valid reason for his speed on the date in question. The garda agreed. Mr Crowley told the court that Staunton was a 27-year-old man and a plumber by trade. He was returning from a job in Athlone that evening and received a call from the McWilliam Park Hotel where he had carried out some work, informing him of a potential gas leak in the hotel’s boiler room which could have been hazardous and that was why he was speeding. Mr Crowley produced documentary evidence from the hotel’s call log to show that Staunton had been called a short time earlier and a letter from the duty manager in the hotel who called him.
Judge Mary Devins agreed to strike out the dangerous driving charge when Staunton pleaded guilty to a lesser careless driving charge. She convicted and fined Staunton €500.
