Man drove jeep while already disqualified

A man who the Judge said “thinks he can drive when he wants” even though he was already disqualified was asked what part of that he didn’t understand.

Conor Kerins, Soxline, Dromahair, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance on August 22, 2020 at Gortnalibbert, Manorhamilton.

The court heard Mr Kerins, 20, was involved in a minor road traffic collision on that date and was found to have no insurance.

He had a previous conviction from Letterkenny District Court on January 30, 2020 for exceeding the alcohol limit for which he was disqualified for two years.

Solicitor, John Anderson, said Mr Kerins used his father’s van which was insured but he wasn’t covered. He said Mr Kerins farms with his father and uncle and sheep had got out and he used the van to stop them getting onto the road. He described it as “a foolish decision.”

Mr Anderson said Mr Kerins was “of a mind to do community service” and understood he was facing another disqualification period.

Judge Deirdre Gearty said the difficulty she had was that Mr Kerins was before the court in Letterkenny in 2020 for excess alcohol and was disqualified and then he “hops into” a vehicle on August 8, 2020 “that he certainly wasn’t insured for.”

“What bit of that does he not understand?” she asked. “This is serious, serious stuff,” the Judge added.

Judge Gearty said that’s why there is a course (prosocial driving course which re-educates drivers) and said he needed to do that.

“He has to be brought and taught. He thinks he can drive when he wants,” she said.

The case was put back until February 9, 2022.