Night-time car chase at over 110kph on country roads in Offaly and Kildare

DETAILS of a night time car chase from Edenderry into Co Kildare were given by a garda at Tullamore District Court.

Garda Kieran Fitzpatrick was presenting the facts after Alan Craven (21), with an address at Trinity Crescent, Derrinturn but now living in Springfield Close, Mullingar, admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

Garda Fitzpatrick said that on November 13 last year at 9.37pm on the Dublin Road in Edenderry he observed a 2009 Volkswagen Golf driving in excess of 100kph in a 50kph zone.

The garda said there were pedestrians on the footpaths and other cars on the road at the time.

He followed the car in the dark and he and his colleague managed to catch up with it in an area called Clonkeen and the car then continued to Carbury where it failed to stop.

It was travelling in excess of 110kph in an 80kph zone.

The car then went “straight through” the roundabout in Carbury and towards Johnstownbridge and then down a smaller road, also with an 80kph speed limit.

“It's a smaller road and there's not much room for two cars and the speed was still in excess of 110kph. It overtook a car on the road and it had no view of oncoming cars,” said Garda Fitzpatrick.

He said the pursuit lasted about 25 minutes and it got to an estate, Coill Dubh in Kildare, just after 10pm.

There were still people about and the car drove into the estate at speed and drove around.

“I deemed the driving to be too dangerous and stood down the chase.”

Garda Fitzpatrick said he then made enquiries and found that the car was registered to the accused man and he was arrested on November 22 at Store Street in Dublin.

He was cautioned and he admitted driving the car. There was no insurance on the vehicle at the time.

The garda said the man had no previous convictions.

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Mr Craven's solicitor, Brian Duffy, asked Judge Andrew Cody leniency and said his client's actions had exacerbated his difficulties in what should have been a “simple stop” by the gardai.

Mr Duffy said there was no excuse for what his client had done but the context was that the man had been having difficulties and he knew the car would be seized because he had no insurance.

He had been driving it for three or four weeks and had insurance previously.

The solicitor said his client had a number of cars burned out before and on October 7 last his house had been burned down.

He apologised to the gardai. “He kind of went off the rails in terms of his behaviour.”

Mr Duffy said the man's life had been turned upside down and he was sleeping in a car for a period of time. He now lived with his mother.

The solicitor asked Judge Cody to have regard for his client's early plea and the fact that he had worked since he was 16.

He had trauma from losing all his belongings in the house fire which was connected to a feud which had nothing to do with him.

Judge Cody imposed fines totalling €1,000, one each of €500 for dangerous driving and uninsured driving.

He also disqualified Mr Craven from driving for four years for both of the offences and gave him six months to pay the fines.

A sentence of three months in prison, suspended for two years on the man's own bond of €100, was imposed.

Judge Cody commented: “Lucky isn't the word here, that nobody was killed. It's highly fortunate, this was a speed chase up and down narrow roadways around Coill Dubh and Edenderry.”

The judge added: “He's very lucky he's not facing an immediate sentence for reckless behaviour.”