A 32-year-old man has been convicted and fined €400 after failing to pay a speeding fine issued when he was caught driving at 136km/h in a 100km/h zone near Boyle.
Jonas Lukauskas, of 37 Garrybawn, Dundalk, Co Louth, did not appear for the hearing at Carrick-on-Shannon District Court on June 29. The case proceeded in his absence.
Garda evidence outlined that on June 24, 2023, Lukauskas was detected driving a red Hyundai Tucson at 136km/h on the N4 at Doon, Boyle, Co Roscommon. He was stopped by Gardaí and produced a valid Irish driver’s licence. The address on the licence matched the one on record.
A fixed charge penalty notice was issued following the stop but was never paid. Gardaí told the court that Lukauskas had been notified and had responded by email, stating that he forgot about the fine and only received the letter days before at his old address.
“To be honest, I forgot about this speeding ticket,” he wrote. “I only received the letter four days ago… I’m working in Britain and will be back in Ireland the first week of January.”
Judge Michael Connellan said that the notice had been properly issued and that the court could not accept the excuse of simply forgetting. He convicted Lukauskas and imposed a €400 fine with six months to pay. A recognisance was also fixed at €200 in the event of an appeal.
The court heard that Lukauskas had no previous convictions.
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