'They are lethal' - Judge shocked by teenage girl 'driving blind'

A teenager was “driving blind” due to the level of tinting on the windows of her BMW, a Judge said. 

Aine Mary Delaney (19) of 19 Old Forge Crescent, Mountrath was stopped by Garda Ciaran O’Mahoney on Railway Street, Maryborough, Portlaoise on June 29, 2024.   

Garda O’Mahoney said the woman was driving a 10C registered white BMW 316 and he tested the tint on the windows. He said the driver and passenger side were 16%. 

“She was driving blind. She couldn’t see left or right,” said Judge Cody on hearing the reading. 

“You might as well paint the windows,” Judge Cody told the sitting of Portlaoise District Court. 

Solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said his client was pleading guilty to the offence. He said the woman couldn’t attend court as she worked in a local bookmakers. He said his client was only 19 and may have been a little naive. She had been cooperative with gardaí and immediately removed the tint, he explained. 

Judge Cody said he regarded it as a serious offence and he wanted the woman to appear in court. He said she was 19 driving around in a BMW. 

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“Do you see them in the town like I do? They are lethal,” he remarked. 

He adjourned the case back to Portlaoise District Court on January 16 in order for the defendant to appear.