Limerick man jailed for driving on footpaths and green area in housing estate
A MOTORIST who drove on footpaths and across a green area in a housing estate to avoid being caught by gardaí has been jailed and banned from driving.
Thomas Manning, aged 21, who has an address at Barracks Mews, Brennan Row, Cathedral Place, Limerick pleaded guilty, at Nenagh District Court, to dangerous driving and driving without a licence at Marion Estate, Newport, on August 18, 2022.
Sgt Regina McCarthy told the court that gardaí received a report about two vehicles racing in the estate.
When gardaí responded to the call, they saw the defendant driving and swerving over and back on the road. A garda driver had to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
Mr Manning also drove on the footpath in the estate and over a green area and never stopped to look when leaving the estate to enter the main road at the junction at Black Road.
Sgt McCarthy said the defendant was travelling at such a high speed on leaving the estate that occupants of the garda car called off the pursuit.
Mr Manning has a total of 65 previous convictions, 16 of which were for breaches of the Road Traffic Act, including seven for driving without insurance and one for drink driving.
Sgt McCarthy said he had previously received a 10-year driving ban for dangerous driving and had previously served three months in jail for drink driving.
Solicitor David Peters, for Mr Manning said his client was currently serving a four-and-a half year jail term for a separate offence of reckless endangerment and was due for release in 2026.
A lot of Mr Manning’s previous convictions arose from law breaking when he was a minor, said Mr Peters.
He told the court that on the day the defendant sped away from gardaí in Newport he was trying to avoid being apprehended as there had been a bench warrant issued for his arrest.
“His girlfriend was pregnant and he was anxious to be around when the new baby was born,” said Mr Peters.
“He accepts he should not have driven the way he did. Thankfully, no accident was caused by the manner of his driving.”
Mr Peters added: “He is already off the road for 10 years and serving a lengthy sentence now, so it’s extremely unlikely that he will be driving again until he reaches his thirties.”
Judge Elizabeth MacGrath said the manner of the defendant’s driving was very serious as it occurred within a residential area and it was fortunate nobody was killed.
She sentenced him to four months in prison and disqualified him from driving for four years for dangerous driving.