Man disqualified for four years and fined €400 for having no insurance or licence
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A 22-YEAR-old man who parked a car outside Carlow Garda Station while disqualified, without an active insurance policy and without a valid driver’s licence was fined €850 and disqualified for four years at Carlow District Court.
Garda Craig Corcoran explained to Judge Catherine Ryan that he was on duty as a member in charge at Carlow Garda Station on 7 September 2025 when Andrei Mihalcea, Graney West, Castledermot, Co Kildare parked in the car park on Greenbank road, Carlow and came into the station to produce a learner permit. He said he had been stopped by a garda in Dublin and asked to produce his licence at a garda station of his choice.
Mr Mihalcea then left and drove away from the station and Garda Corcoran made an inquiry as to the insurance on the vehicle. He found it had no active insurance policy, but as a member in charge at the station he could follow Mr Mihalcea and make a demand of him to produce a certificate of insurance.
Several days later, on 15 September, he stopped Mr Mihalcea at Grandwest, Castledermot, Co Kildare and the defendant showed the garda an email from his supposed insurer on his phone. Garda Corcoran told the court he was not convinced it was a valid certificate and made a lawful demand of him to produce his insurance details to a garda station within ten days.
Mr Mihalcea failed to do so, and a summons to appear at Carlow District Court was issued.
The defendant gave evidence, saying he wouldn’t have driven unless he thought he was insured. “I don’t have a paper,” he said, saying he couldn’t find the physical certificate but had a copy on his email. He also claimed he had lost his physical licence.
His solicitor Joe Farrell said Mr Mihalcea was not currently working and was reliant on assistance from his family.
“As far as he was concerned, he was insured,” Mr Farrell argued, but the judge was not convinced.
“I’m sure he’s been properly legally advised as to what was required in these cases,” Judge Ryan said pointedly.
Insp Conor Nolan said the defendant had five previous convictions for road traffic convictions, the most recent of which, a drug-driving conviction in July 2025, led to him being disqualified from driving for a year. Mr Mihalcea was disqualified from driving when he committed the offence at Greenbank.
Judge Ryan, on convicting the defendant of all six charges, said: “I hope the penny has dropped – he’s going to be off the road for a long time.”
For driving without valid insurance contrary to section 56 of the , Judge Ryan disqualified the defendant for four years and fined him €450, with six months to pay. For the offence of driving without a licence, she fined him €400 with six months to pay. Four other charges of failing to produce insurance or a licence, driving again without a licence and driving while disqualified were taken into consideration.
Judge Ryan fixed recognisance at €300.
