Derry woman banned from driving after being caught with no insurance in Inishowen

A Derry woman has been disqualified from driving for two years and fined €750 for a number of road traffic offences detected in Inishowen last summer.

Irene Melaugh, of Stephens Court, Ballymagroarty, Derry, did not appear in court to answer charges of driving without insurance, driving without a licence and failing to produce an insurance certificate.

However, Judge Emile Daly directed that the case proceed after Sergeant Jim Collins presented proof of service to the court.

Garda Raymond Hamilton was sworn in to give evidence in the matter. The court heard that at 1.24am during the early hours of Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Garda Hamilton was on mobile patrol at Inch Level, Burt, when he observed a vehicle parked in a car park in the area.

The vehicle was described as a UK-registered 2016 red Nissan X-Trail. Garda Hamilton told the court the vehicle was stationary in the car park but had its engine running and lights switched on.

He approached the vehicle to speak with the occupants, and the driver identified herself as Irene Melaugh, of the address before the court.

Garda Hamilton asked the defendant to produce her driving licence, but she stated that she did not have it with her. She also told the garda she did not have insurance documentation for the vehicle in her possession.

The garda made contact with the PSNI, who confirmed that there was no insurance recorded on their system for the vehicle in question.

Garda Hamilton informed Ms Melaugh of this and subsequently seized the Nissan X-Trail under Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act on suspicion that it was being driven without insurance.

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The court heard that Garda Hamilton then made a lawful demand that Ms Melaugh produce a certificate of insurance at a Garda Station of her choice within ten days. She nominated Buncrana Garda Station, however no insurance documentation was ever produced there.

Garda Hamilton later made further enquiries with the PSNI, who confirmed that there was also no record of a driving licence being held by Ms Melaugh at that time.

Sergeant Collins told the court that the defendant had no previous convictions.

Following the evidence, Judge Daly disqualified Ms Melaugh from driving for two years on the charge of having no insurance and imposed a fine of €500.

The judge also fined her €250 for driving without a licence, bringing the total financial penalty to €750, and allowed four months for the fines to be paid.

The charge of failing to produce an insurance certificate was taken into account by the court.