Man with 135 previous convictions caught driving in the Midlands with every detectable drug in his system

A man with 21 previous convictions for no insurance tried to give gardaí a false name and address. 

Padraig Dunne(39) of Knockanina, Muontrath was stopped on the R445 at Holycross, Dysart Beg, Mountrath on December 7, 2023. 

Garda Noel Tier said the defendant was stopped driving a brown coloured 08 registered  Mazda 6 car at 9.25am. 

“He initially gave me a false name and date of birth,” said Garda Tier. 

He said the defendant tested positive at the roadside for “all five detectable drugs” and he was found in possession of Xanax. He said the defendant admitted he was disqualified and said the Xanax were for his own personal use. 

Judge Andrew Cody noted the man had “every drug in his system. Not just one.” 

Garda Tier said the man had 135 previous convictions, 21 of which were for no insurance and 17 of which were for driving without a licence. He said the man also had three for driving while intoxicated and he was disqualified from driving 12 times. 

Solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said while there were a lot of aggravating factors in the case his client was pleading guilty.  He said his client was “well known to the courts” and had long standing addiction issues. 

On the date in question, he said the man who had worked as a welder, was fixing a friend’s car and had taken it for a test drive. 

Mr Fitzgerald acknowledged the man’s previous offending but said “the recent pattern is a little bit better than it was previously.” 

“He is free from heroin the last year or so,” Mr Fitzgerald told the sitting of Portlaoise District Court. 

Judge Cody imposed a 12 month sentence which he suspended for three years and fined the man a total of €1,000. He also banned him from driving for 20 years.