Woman banned from driving by Carlow court for eight years
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A CARLOW District Court judge has handed down an eight-year driving ban to a woman who was found to have almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in her system when she was stopped by gardaí in Baltinglass while already disqualified from driving.
Emma Duhig (32), living at Portrushen Upper, Kiltegan, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving before Judge Geraldine Carthy, who suspended a four-month custodial sentence on condition the defendant enter into a €300 own bond for 12 months.
The court heard that at 9.20pm on 14 January, gardaí observed a grey Jaguar car travelling on Mill Street, Baltinglass without full lights. The vehicle crossed through Weavers’ Square onto the wrong side of the road, forcing an oncoming car to take evasive action, and was observed driving between two lanes.
Garda Hannigan’s evidence was that when Ms Duhig opened her car door she “almost fell out onto a public road” and that her speech was slurred. He formed the opinion that she was intoxicated and she was conveyed to Baltinglass Garda Station, where a blood alcohol reading of 99mg per 100ml was recorded – the legal limit is 50mg. Further enquiries established that Ms Duhig did not hold a full driving licence.
The court was told that Ms Duhig has one previous conviction, a road traffic offence from October 2023 for drunk-driving, for which she received a three-year disqualification and a €100 fine. She was, therefore, disqualified from driving at the time of the current offence.
Solicitor Joe Farrell, appearing for the defendant, told the court: “There is no excuse and we acknowledge her previous conviction.”
He said that Ms Duhig had “relied upon alcohol as a coping mechanism” following a traumatic event in her life and that, while she was aware she should not have been driving, “there is a lot going on” in her life. Outside of this matter, Mr Farrell said, she was a person of good character.
Judge Carthy noted that the aggravating factor in the case was that Ms Duhig had been driving while already the subject of a disqualification order. “I have no doubt there is a lot going on in this lady’s life that is causing this,” the judge remarked, before convicting and sentencing her.
Ms Duhig received a four-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, a €500 fine, a six-year disqualification for drink-driving and a further two-year disqualification for dangerous driving, bringing her total driving ban to eight years.
