Mystery of disappearing magnet a central issue in Limerick court case

THE case against a driver who an RSA inspector said “must have been like Paul Daniels to get rid of the magnet without us seeing it” was dismissed.

Paul Maher, of Dun Uisce, Cahir was before Kilmallock Court for allegedly suppressing data on a tachograph.

Jonathan Kelly, an inspector with the Road Safety Authority, said he was carrying out a roadside checkpoint in Ballyduff, Ballylanders at 3.45am on October 16, 2019.

“I was working with my colleague David Griffin and gardai. We stopped a vehicle. I approached the stationary vehicle. I said we were doing a tachograph and licensing inspection. The tachograph showed the vehicle had done 0 kms that day. It is like the truck dropped out of the sky at that location. He couldn’t explain why the tachograph showed 0 kms. He said he didn’t cop that the tachograph was not working,” said Mr Kelly.

The RSA inspector said his colleague had spotted a device on the gearbox of a vehicle. When they checked a short time later the device was gone, the court head.

“A magnet puts the tachograph to sleep. You could drive all day and night. We didn’t get our hands on the magnet,” said Mr Kelly, who drove the truck and the tachograph was now working.

Mr Kelly said he read his notes to Mr Maher including saying, 'He must have been like Paul Daniels to get rid of the magnet without us seeing it'.

“Mr Maher said it was a ‘complete joke’ and ‘Are you going to say that before a jury?’ and “Was I mad?’” said Mr Kelly. His RSA colleague Mr Griffin gave evidence of carrying out a technical inspection underneath the vehicle.

“I noticed a device near the transmission used to fool the vehicle into thinking it is parked. I informed Jonathan Kelly it was there. Ten to 15 minutes later he asked me to remove it. The device had remarkably disappeared. A magnet stops the signal to the tachograph and it can also disable the anti-lock braking system,” said Mr Griffin.

The court heard Mr Maher has no previous convictions.

Judge Marian O’Leary said: “There was no evidence given that he was driving a truck. There was no registration number given. Dismiss.”