'Confused' elderly Tipperary motorist who drove the wrong way on motorway is fined

A man drove the wrong way along the M7 outside Nenagh after he appeared to have become confused, Nenagh District Court was told.

George Butler of Traverstown, Ballinaclough, Nenagh, had a charge of dangerous driving reduced to careless driving at Carrigatoher, Nenagh, by Judge Joanne Carroll.

Sgt Regina McCarthy told the court that the man was stopped and it appeared he had become confused when entering the motorway junction.

Mr Butler’s solicitor, David Peters, said that his client was 77 years old and had been driving for 60 years without incident.

“He took the wrong lane,” said Mr Peters in relation to how Mr Butler ended up on the wrong carriageway. “Thankfully, there was no accident.”

Mr Peters said that Mr Butler understood he won’t be able to drive again on doctor’s orders.

Judge Carroll fined Mr Butler €100 for what she described as a “momentary lapse in his senior years”.