Offaly man who drove under influence of drugs was 30 times the legal limit

A man who exceeded the speed limit also drove without insurance or driving licence and failed to produce the documents at a later stage. He also drove under the influence of drugs.

Last week's district court heard that, Jason Bennett, Coolanarney, Blueball, Tullamore, was stopped by Garda Finbarr O'Leahy on September 25, 2023.

He had no insurance or driving licence. There was also a smell of cannabis in the car when stopped and a search revealed €50 worth of cannabis.

Tests carried out on Mr Bennett showed he was 30 times the legal limit for drug driving.

He had a number of prior convictions for drugs and for driving with no insurance and had previously been given the benefit of the probation act.

Solicitor Patrick Martin said Mr Bennett had to get away from the lifestyle he was living. He has one child.

For driving without insurance Judge Andrew Cody fined the defendant €1,000 with 6 months to pay and he imposed a 10 years disqualification.

For driving without a licence he was fined €250 with 6 months to pay. For the speeding offence he was fined €250 with 3 months to pay. For being in possession of drugs a fine of €250 with 6 months to pay was imposed

For drug driving he was fined €1,000 with 6 months to pay and a 10 years disqualification. Failure to produce a driving licence and insurance were taken into consideration.