Defendant caught on same offence day after conviction, Carlow court heard
Drink driving
A 33-YEAR-old man who was caught drink-driving without insurance was disqualified from driving for four years after a judge noted he had been convicted of the same offence just one day prior to being caught.
Carlow District Court heard that on 11 October 2025, gardaí observed a vehicle on Tullow Street, Carlow town that was flagged by their mobility device as having no insurance. After speaking with the driver, George Stelian Iacob, the vehicle was seized under section 40 of the .
A breath specimen taken from Mr Iacob, who is a learner driver, failed and he was arrested under section 9(2) of the . He provided a blood sample and the certificate was returned with a reading of 136mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, exceeding the legal limit.
Mr Iacob, Parkmore, Baltinglass had three previous convictions, including a conviction for drink-driving on 10 October 2025, the day before this incident, for which he was fined €200 and disqualified from driving for two years.
Judge Geraldine Carthy’s reaction was pointed. “The 10th of October? Okay. I’ll say no more,” she said.
Noting it was Mr Iacob’s second drink-driving offence, Judge Carthy convicted him and imposed a four-year driving disqualification. “This is a double disqualification of four years,” she said, also fining him €700.
