Offaly woman receives driving ban for parking in disabled parking space

MOTORISTS who use disabled parking bays without a permit run the risk of being banned from the road, Judge Andrew Cody has warned.

Judge Cody said he had an “absolute abhorrence” of people who use those spaces illegally and anyone convicted of the offence for a second time will be disqualified from driving.

Speaking at Tullamore District Court, Judge Cody said the bays were for people such as the disabled, those with disabled children, and the elderly, so they “can live their lives with some bit of dignity and independence” when they were going to the chemist or the supermarket.

He was commenting after being told that defendant Lisa Kiernan (29), Killane Drive, Edenderry, had a previous conviction for parking in a disabled bay.

That conviction dated from two months before a similar offence committed at Edenderry Shopping Centre on September 3 last.

Defending solicitor Donal Farrelly said Ms Kiernan used the space because she was pregnant and in need of medication and found there was nowhere else to park when she needed to go to the chemist.

Mr Farrelly said the woman, who was living in poor circumstances, only used the space for a very short period.

Because she was the sole driver for her family a disqualification would cause serious difficulty for her.

Judge Cody banned her from the road for a year and fined her €500.

The court also heard that Ms Kiernan had previously been given the opportunity to pay €500 to the court poor box.

She had been summonsed for driving a car with two excessively worn tyres, one in the rear and one in the front, at Granary Court, Edenderry on July 27 last year.

When that prosecution came before the court last month Garda Trevor Mullins said a fine had been issued but it was not paid.

The court heard that Ms Kiernan had been told by a garage that her four tyres were in order.

Garda Mullins said there was very little depth to the tyres and Ms Kiernan had not said anything about the garage when she had been stopped on the road.

Judge Cody adjourned the matter on the basis that he would not convict the driver if she paid €500 to the court poor box.

When he learned last week that she had not paid that amount, he imposed two fines of €200 each.

Recognisances were fixed for an appeal.