Clonmany motorist banned for two years after being caught for no insurance again

A Clonmany motorist has been put off the road for two years for a second conviction for driving without insurance.

Anthony McGonigle, of Cloontagh, Clonmany, pleaded guilty to three separate road traffic charges at Carndonagh District Court.

The 26-year-old joiner admitted having no insurance, failure to produce insurance and failure to produce his driving licence, with the latter charge being struck out after his licence was produced in court.

Sergeant Conor Mulkerns prosecuted the case for the State, explaining how the offences were detected on Sunday, January 12, 2025.

At 8.55pm that evening, gardai on mobile patrol observed a UK-registered BMW car being driven in the Ballyliffin area. They checked the vehicle using the Garda ANPR [Automatic Number Plate Recognition] system and found there was no insurance on it.

The BMW was subsequently stopped at the Ballyliffin Hotel. The driver, Anthony McGonigle, was asked to produce his insurance certificate and his driver’s licence within ten days. He chose Buncrana Garda Station, but he did not produce any of the legally required documents.

Sgt Mulkerns revealed how the defendant had two previous road traffic convictions, including one for driving without insurance.

The court heard that his second conviction for no insurance would result in a mandatory two-year disqualification period.

Defence solicitor Ciaran MacLochlainn told the court his client thought he was covered to drive.

“He’s a single man who lives at home with his father. He thought he was insured as a named driver on an open driven policy that his father had. However, that policy only covered his father to drive other vehicles and didn’t cover the named driver.”

“He thought he was entitled to drive any other vehicle, but obviously he wasn’t.”

READ NEXT: Suspended sentence for Buncrana man who attacked his partner

Mr MacLochlainn said Mr McGonigle’s car was seized and he had to pay €120 to get the car back, as well as an additional sum of €250 to a recovery firm.

In further mitigation, the solicitor added: “My client fell at his work and broke his ankle in three places in September. He was detained in hospital for a long period of time, but he’s now back in action, and he’s back at work.”

Mr MacLochlainn told the court that Mr McGonigle earns around €400 per week, working as a joiner, while the loss of his licence will have a “severe financial impact on him.”

Following the evidence and defence outlined, Judge Emile Daly imposed the minimum disqualification period of two years, along with a fine of €350 for the Section 56 no insurance charge.

She took the charge of failure to produce insurance “into consideration”, while a driving licence charge was dismissed.