Dundalk Court: Man failed to give information to garda

A 35 year old man who Dundalk district court was told had driven off after a Garda stood in front of him with his hand raised, claimed last week that he didn't see the officer due to a blindspot at the location near the Louth/Monaghan border.

A Carrickmacross-based garda told the court he'd responded to a civil dispute involving a former employee at Matthews Coaches in Inniskeen on February 15th last, around 1.30pm. He said the defendant, Precious Omoruyi with an address at Clann Chulainn Park, Farndreg, Dundalk, who had recently been fired, was heading towards his car, when the garda went to speak to him.

The witness said he noticed there was no valid tax on the windscreen and he stood in the middle of the road, with his right hand raised, as the defendant entered the Dundalk Road, but he failed to stop and drove around the garda. The guard followed him to an estate on the Demesne Road in Dundalk and made a lawful demand for the production of his driving documents.

The garda said when he asked for his name and address, the defendant smirked at him and he was arrested after failing to provide the information. He was subsequently identified when his driving licence was located during a search at Dundalk Garda Station. Under oath, the defendant said the garda "never accused me of anything" and added "this was very surprising to me".

When the garda put it to him that he had tried to stop him in Inniskeen, he claimed that he hadn't seen him as there was a blind spot with buildings to his left and right adding "my vision was straight in front of me".

Judge Ciaran Liddy convicted him of failing to give information to the garda, and fined him €200 euro after hearing the defendant was very unwell at the time and had spent three months on remand, but has since made a good recovery having had mental health difficulties for three or four months.