Man abandoned van in ditch at Killinure after crashing it
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ABANDONING his father’s van in a ditch at Killinure after crashing it has cost a Wexford man €500 and a two-year driving disqualification.
Judge Geraldine Carthy handed down the sentence at Carlow District Court on 12 March in the absence of the defendant, Laurence Connors (24), previously of 5 Ní Coilte, Bunclody, Co Wexford, who now has an address in the UK.
Garda Deirdre Cohen of Tinahely Garda Station outlined to Judge Carthy that she attended a single-vehicle collision at Killinure on Thursday 30 January 2025 at approximately 8.45pm. She observed a van in the ditch, but there was no-one to be found at the scene. She noticed that an insurance disc was not displayed on the vehicle and that it had no valid DOE.
She had the vehicle towed away and, on investigating the driver, she established it was Mr Connors with a then-address of 5 Na Coilte, Bunclody, Co Wexford. She received a voluntary caution statement from the defendant when he attended Enniscorthy Garda Station.
In that statement, he said he had used a spare key to access his father’s van, which he had prior experience of driving, to drop his girlfriend home to Tullow.
On the way back to Bunclody, he said, the roads were icy and he skidded and crashed the vehicle into the ditch. He had his aunt collect him because he was scared to tell his father, saying: “I knew he would go mad.”
Mr Connors held a provisional licence at the time and didn’t have permission from his father to drive the van. He admitted to not having insurance. By means of explanation, he said: “I’m sorry for all this mess. I was sorting it out by myself, that’s why I didn’t call the guards.”
He told gardaí in Enniscorthy that he was getting married the next day.
“Know anything about him?” asked Judge Carthy to solicitor Joseph Farrell.
“He’s married now, I suppose,” said Mr Farrell, to the amusement of the court.
Judge Carthy imposed two fines totalling €500 for the driving offences and disqualified Mr Connors from driving for two years.
