Panicked driver tried to evade the gardaí
The defendant's car didn’t have insurance cover
A TULLOW man who “panicked” when the gardaí activated the blue light on their squad car and tried to get away from them was last week disqualified from driving and fined when he appeared on careless driving and other charges at Carlow District Court. Johnny Berry, 32 Graigowen, Tullow was charged with careless driving as well as driving without insurance or a driving licence when gardaí tried to pull him in at Bunclody Road, Tullow on 18 June last year.
Inspector Conor Nolan told the court that gardaí detected that Mr Berry’s car didn’t have insurance cover and that when they activated the blue light to signal him to pull over, he instead drove away from them at speed. He continued that Mr Berry (37) drove at 100kph in a 60kph zone in the middle of the road, and that they caught up with him when he drove down a cul-de-sac, where they had to pursue him on foot.
He added that Mr Berry had nine previous convictions, including one for not having insurance.
Solicitor Joe Farrell told Judge Geraldine Carthy that his client, who is a father of two, “panicked on the day” and realised that he should not have tried to evade the gardaí.
Judge Carthy said the defendant was “fortunate” that the gardaí charged him with careless driving and not a more serious offence of dangerous driving. She then disqualified him from driving for four years and fined him a total of €800.
