Drunk driver who left scene of crash is banned for six years
The defendant pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court.
An intoxicated motorist who attempted to leave the scene of an accident has been banned from driving for six years.
Niall Cawley of Gortnaclasser, Clogher, Westport, pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court to dangerous driving, drink driving and hit and run on February 10, 2024.
The defendant was involved in a collision with another vehicle at The Three Bridges in Islandeady at around 10pm on the date in question, but left the scene. However, one of the tyres on his van burst a short distance away, forcing him to stop at Leitir, Islandeady, where the driver of the other vehicle Kenneth Hyland caught up with him.
Gda Inspector Thomasina McHale said Cawley initially stopped after the collision but left when Mr Hyland went to his car to retrieve his phone. Mr Hyland pursued the van which eventually came to a stop at Leitir where it remained until gardaí arrived.
Inspector McHale said gardaí arrested Cawley for drink driving. He later provided a specimen of breath that gave a reading of 87mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22mg.
The defendant has seven previous convictions, dating from 2008 to 2014, including two for drink driving, and was banned previously from driving for six years.
Mark Ryan, counsel for Cawley, said client accepts he has a dependency on alcohol, which was central to the incidents surrounding his previous convictions. He said his client is in full time employment in construction. The defendant had got the better of his alcohol problems in 2013 but relapsed in late 2023.
The court heard that Cawley is extremely apologetic to Mr Hyland and his brother who was with him on the night and had €2,000 in compensation for him.
Judge Sandra Murphy was informed that only material damage was caused to Mr Hyland's vehicle which was covered by insurance and there were no serious injuries.
However, the judge expressed concern regarding Cawley’s issues with alcohol, particularly in relation to the two previous convictions for drink driving, and indicated that she would like to hear from the Probation Service.
A six-year driving ban and a fine of €350 was imposed on the drink driving charge while sentencing was adjourned to June 26 in respect of the other charges to allow for preparation of a probation report.
- Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme.
