'Highly dangerous' drink-driver overtook four cars at 140kmh in Offaly

TULLAMORE District Court was told a drink driver who was jailed for travelling at 140km/h and overtaking four cars did not realise a consecutive sentence had been imposed on him.

Avis Rukmans (30), Rosslands, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, applied at the District Court to extend time to lodge an appeal against a sentence.

Judge Andrew Cody was told by a solicitor for Mr Rukmans that according to the man's instructions he neither understood the appeal process nor realised the sentence was consecutive.

He was currently serving a sentence for a road traffic conviction.

Judge Cody said Mr Rukmans had not turned up for the original hearing into the matter and four bench warrants were issued before he was eventually produced in court.

The judge said there had also been another bench warrant before the man was convicted.

He extended time for the man to appeal for seven days on condition he enter his own bond of €100 or, along with a surety of €1,000 or a cash lodgement of €1,000.

Mr Rukmans was convicted on June 17 last after the court heard he had been detected driving at 140km/h in a 100 km/h zone at R445, Loughan, Offaly on February 17, 2025.

The driver overtook four vehicles and then failed a breath test. He was charged with dangerous driving, uninsured driving and drink driving.

He had been disqualified from driving in 2024 for eight years and had a six-year ban prior to that.

The court heard he had a total of 40 previous convictions and had also been sentenced to five months in prison, with a release date of September 30 this year.

Judge Cody banned Mr Rukmans from driving for 15 years and imposed a six-month prison sentence, ruling that it begin on the expiry of a sentence he was already serving.

He said the man's driving had been “highly dangerous” as he had overtaken four cars at 140km/h “while obviously highly drunk”.

(Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme)