Driving ban and a €1,000 fine imposed on mother-of-two in Thurles

A mother of two has been banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay a €1,000 fine for drink driving at Thurles District Court.

Marie Fitzgibbon (43) of 33 Gortataggart, Templemore Road, Thurles pleaded guilty to drink driving at the Grove, Cabragh, Thurles on July 1, 2022. 

Gardaí told the court that on the day of the incident, a garda observed a car driving erratically down the centre of the road. The car was swerving “back and forth” before almost hitting a telecommunications pole. 

Gardaí stopped the car and arrested the driver. At the station, the defendant gave a breath sample, which read 144 over 100. Kenneth Kearns BL, acting for the defendant, said his client is a mother-of-two and is “embarrassed” by the incident.

He said she had just recently changed jobs, and he asked that the court defer the driving ban.

The gardaí said they would not object in light of her guilty plea. 

Judge Catherine Hayden imposed a two-year driving ban and ordered the defendant to pay a €1,000 fine.