‘Unusually slow driver’ was more than three times the limit when gardai stopped him

A Donegal motorist, whose unusually slow driving led concerned members of the public to alert the guards, has been banned for three years for drunken driving.

Graham Toland Rivera, of Killynure House, Convoy, admitted a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol when his case came before Carndonagh District Court.

The court heard how the 60-year-old retiree was three-and-a-half times the limit when gardai apprehended him near Muff last year.

Sergeant Conor Mulkerns outlined the evidence in court. He said gardai in Inishowen received a report of a vehicle being driven in a “very slow manner” on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

The vehicle was stopped at Drumhaggart, Muff, a short time later, and gardai spoke with the driver, who was Mr Toland Rivera.

During the course of this interaction, they noticed a strong smell of alcohol emanating from the vehicle, and Mr Toland Rivera was subsequently arrested on suspicion of drink driving before being brought to Buncrana Garda Station to be further processed.

A breath test was conducted at the station, and the results were 75 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, a reading which is almost three-and-a-half times the legal limit of 22 microgrammes.

The court heard how the defendant had no previous convictions, while the 75mgs reading would bring a mandatory three-year disqualification.

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Defending the case, solicitor Frank Dorrian said his client was compliant at all stages.

“He’s a man in his sixties who’s effectively retired at this stage. He made a mistake, and now he must bear the consequences of that mistake.”

Judge Emile Daly convicted Mr Toland Rivera of drink driving, imposing a ban and a fine of €250.

“Based on the reading, I’m obliged to apply a disqualification of three years from driving,” the judge explained.

At the end of the case, the defence was granted a five-month postponement of the driving ban, which will begin on August 1, 2026 as a result.