Limerick businessman caught driving while disqualified set to avoid prison

A LIMERICK man who was caught driving without insurance while disqualified is willing to do community service, his solicitor has said.

Before Newcastle West was Stephen O’Brien of Canon Breen Park, Thomondgate who pleaded to driving without insurance at Oldcourt, Rathkeale on April 27 last year. 

The court was told he had two previous convictions for driving without insurance and had been disqualified from driving for two years in November 2019. 

Pleading for his client, solicitor Daniel Creed said he was self-employed and had a company but work had slowed down because of Covid-19.

On the day in question, he was doing work for another employer and was under pressure to get the job done. 

“Did he admit having no insurance and the disqualification?” Judge John King asked. 

“No,” replied Mr Creed but he stressed that his client appreciated the gravity of the situation. 

“It was a one-off. He breached it once,” Mr Creed said. He was, he continued, pleading for the utmost leniency as his client had a company and had employees. 

The judge adjourned the charge of driving without insurance to July 28 to allow a report to be drawn up on Mr O’Brien’s suitability for community service. 

“If suitable,” the judge said,” I will order 120 hours CSO in lieu of 90 days imprisonment and four years disqualification on that date.”

The judge imposed a five month sentence, suspended for two years, for  driving without a driving licence and said all other matters, failing to produce insurance and driving licence, using a vehicle without an NCT and having no tax or tax display would be “dealt with by way of suspended sentence”.