Four-year driving ban after second no insurance charge

A Ballintra woman has been put off the road for four years after being detected without insurance when caught driving at 166km/h while on a provisional licence.

Siobhan O'Hara was convicted of driving without insurance for a second time when she appeared before Letterkenny District Court.

O'Hara was in court on charges relating to an incident on January 30, 2021.

Sergeant Sean McDaid told the court that at 12.40pm on the day in question, Gardai detected a vehicle travelling at 166km/h in a 100km/h zone on the inbound lane of the Letterkenny dual carriageway.

O'Hara was arrested for dangerous driving and did not produce documents having elected to do so at Ballyshannon Garda Station.

O'Hara was also charged with a breach of Covid-19 travel restrictions after being unable to provide Gardai with a reasonable excuse for being over 55km from her place of residence.

O'Hara had only a provisional licence on the day in question and was charged with being unaccompanied.

Mr Rory O'Brien, solicitor for O'Hara, said his client had purchased the vehicle on the day on question.

The court heard that O'Hara is a mother-of-one who is expecting her second child.

“She is very sorry, she apologises profusely,” Mr O'Brien said, adding that O'Hara has completed the Pro-Social driving course.

Pleas were entered on all matters. The court heard that O'Hara had one previous conviction – one of driving without insurance from 2020.

Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said she was 'in difficulty' due to O'Hara's previous no-insurance conviction.

O'Hara was disqualified for four years and fined €250 for driving without insurance. For the breach of Covid-19 travel restrictions, O'Hara was fined €100. The other charges were marked as taken into account.

Judge Cunningham granted a six-month deferral of the driving disqualification.