Local man sentenced to five months for driving offences

A CASTLEDERMOT man was sentenced to five months in prison after being convicted on driving-related charges following an accident on the M9 motorway last July.

Michael John Allen, Dublin Road, Castledermot appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy at the local district court for sentencing on charges arising from a car accident that occurred on the M9 at Ballyburn Lower, Castledermot on 6 July 2024.

Judge Carthy delivered her decision on the contested charges, dismissing the charge of failing to provide a blood or urine specimen under section 14 of the Road Traffic Act, 2010. The judge stated it was “a bit of a stretch” to see whether he consulted the treating doctor or nurse rather than someone on the general medical team.

Regarding the no insurance charge, Judge Carthy noted that Mr Allen had been cautioned three times and had admitted that he was driving on the day in question.

The court heard extensive details of Mr Allen’s criminal history, with garda evidence revealing 30 previous convictions. Most recently, he appeared before Carlow District Court on 11 August 2024 for failure to provide a sample, receiving a four-year driving disqualification. The court was told he had six previous convictions for driving without insurance and was serving a ten-year driving ban at the time of the current offence.

Additional previous convictions included breach of a domestic order on 19 April 2024.

Defence solicitor Chris Hogan offered mitigation on behalf of his client, telling the court that Mr Allen had “purposely crashed into the barrier” and that his life “had fallen completely apart” due to family matters, breaches of a safety order and a relationship breakdown. Mr Hogan said his client had “tried to cope with it through alcohol abuse”.

The court heard that Mr Allen had served five months in prison for domestic violence matters and had been released in November. Mr Hogan said his client was “doing pretty well since he came out”, had engaged with the Probation Service, was attending an anger management course and had secured some casual building work.

Mr Hogan asked the court to “take a chance” on his client, describing him as someone who was making efforts to turn his life around.

Judge Carthy acknowledged the mitigation presented, but stated that, taking all matters into account, the defendant’s previous history was quite stark: “I appreciate what has been outlined, and his demeanour on the night in question. Notwithstanding that, we can’t ignore that this is your seventh offence (in relation to no insurance),” she added.

She sentenced Mr Allen to five months in prison and disqualified him from driving for 12 years in respect of the no insurance charge, adding “everything else I’ll take into consideration”. He was also ordered to enter into his own bond of €500.