Driver ‘amazed’ to learn wife's car had no insurance
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A TULLOW motorist was fined €300 after he was stopped during a routine garda check and found to be driving his wife’s car, which was uninsured.
Niall Byrne (41) of Castlemore, Tullow, Carlow, pleaded guilty at Carlow District Court to having no insurance.
The court heard that on the morning of 28 January, while conducting a public check at Carpenter’s Way, Carlow town, Garda Miller stopped Mr Byrne because the car wasn’t covered by insurance.
Solicitor Joe Farrell, representing the defendant, said his client had been driving his wife’s car and so did not realise it was uninsured.
“He was shocked because he was driving his wife’s car, so he didn’t admit to having no insurance at the time. When the garda told him the vehicle he was driving had no insurance, he was amazed by that,” said Mr Farrell.
Mr Farrell told the court that his client holds a policy on his own vehicle but accepted there was none on the vehicle he was driving at the time. He said there is now a policy in place and the insurance documents had been brought to court.
“He is very embarrassed by this. He has no previous convictions and was rattled for weeks afterwards,” Mr Farrell said.
In mitigation, Mr Farrell added that the defendant has a number of children and would be “really stuck” without a licence.
Judge Geraldine Carthy said she was satisfied to apply the special reason provision, convicting Mr Byrne and fining him €300, with 90 days to pay. No disqualification from driving was imposed.
