Jail sentence for man stopped by gardai when driving sulky in Offaly

A SIX-month prison sentence was imposed on a man found guilty of dangerous driving after Tullamore District Court heard he had been driving a sulky in south Offaly.

Judge Andrew Cody also fined Daniel Greene (29), Dernacart, Geashill €2,000 and told him that €2,000 in cash would be required by the court if he wanted to lodge an appeal.

Mr Greene had been convicted at an earlier sitting of dangerous driving at Clashagad, Dunkerrin on December 20, 2020.

He came before the court again this week for sentencing and Sergeant Richard Thornton told Judge Cody the prosecution arose as a result of the man being engaged in sulky racing.

Mr Greene had refused to stop his horse drawn sulky when he was driving it on the R445 regional road from Roscrea to Dunkerrin.

Sergeant Thornton said the accused had more than 20 prior convictions and last year had been disqualified from driving for a year for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.

He also had convictions for a drugs offence, driving without insurance, having no driving licence and having no road tax and had previously been disqualified from driving for two years and had been ordered to complete 120 hours of community service.

Sergeant Thornton said the majority of Mr Green's convictions were for road traffic offences dating back to 2013.

David Nugent, BL, defending, said his client worked as a groundskeeper and builder and on the date of the offence seven or eight sulkies went on the hard shoulder for a drive to exercise their horses.

Mr Nugent said Mr Greene had offered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of careless driving before he was convicted.

He was a man who was a responsible with his horses and sulky racing was a hobby.

He accepted he was on the road at the time. He was a man who cared for his animals and looked after them.

He did not now do as much racing as previously and now does it off the road on a private track.

Mr Nugent said the accused was asking the court for some leniency and he was working and concentrating on being a good father for his children.

Judge Cody said Mr Greene had faced six charges in 2020 prior to the one before the court, including having no driving licence or insurance. In 2021 there were another six offences and two more in 2022.

In relation to the case now before the court, four bench warrants had to be issued.

The judge said the accused was not getting the message about how serious the offences were.

He gave him 12 months to pay the €2,000 fine and said the cash lodgment of €2,000 for an appeal against the sentence was being sought because four bench warrants had to be issued previously.