Westport man who was disqualified multiple times still kept driving
Judge Fiona Lydon said she could not understand how the defendant got behind the wheel of a car after multiple disqualifications.
A man who drove while disqualified on multiple occasions has been ordered to undergo hair follicle testing to prove he has stopped drinking.
Mike Smith, aged 54, of Arderry, Aughagower, Westport, pleaded guilty at Ballina District Court to drink driving at Aughagower, Westport on June 22, 2023. He also admitted to having no insurance or driving licence.
Gda Ray Guilfoyle told the court he arrested Smith on suspicion of drunk driving on the date in question. A breath sample gave a reading of 23 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22mg.
Gda Guilfoyle explained that Smith has several previous convictions and the most recent was imposed last week when he received a six-year driving ban and a four-month term of imprisonment for driving while disqualified at High Street in Westport on October 29, 2023.
On April 25 last, Smith was disqualified for four years and given a four-month suspended prison sentence for driving without insurance.
Mr Loftus said his client had been referred by his GP to a HSE addiction counsellor and is no longer drinking. He works as a chef and is married.
However, Judge Fiona Lydon said she was unhappy to hear that Smith had still not completed the Prime for Life addiction course and insisted he reengage with the Probation Service, as well as providing hair follicle samples to prove he is alcohol-free.
"I need to understand how an individual who is disqualified multiple times can get behind the wheel," she said before adjourning the case until December 8.
