Man (39) with 133 previous convictions caught driving without motor insurance

A MAN caught driving without motor insurance escaped imprisonment at Tallaght District Court.

Jason O’Brien (39), of McUilliam Green, Tallaght, appeared before the court facing road traffic charges of driving a vehicle without insurance at Mac Uilliam Road on November 18, 2019, and at Sundale Park Tallaght on December 17, 2021.

Mr O’Brien was also facing charges of failure to produce NCT, driver, and non-display of tax disc for the 2019 offence and failure to produce license and insurance for the 2021 offence.

The court heard that Mr O’Brien was stopped in a Santa Fe vehicle in 2019 and a Hyundai in 2021.

The court also heard that the defendant has 133 previous convictions including 23 for no motor insurance.

The most recent conviction for no insurance was a disqualification on February 14, 2023, for a 2017 offence, for which Mr O’Brien received a six-month suspended sentence.

In 2018, Mr O’Brien received a five-month suspended sentence for driving without insurance.

Defence solicitor Padraig O’Donovan appealed for his client to be given the opportunity to do community service rather than incarceration, noting that his client has engaged with probation services in the past and is willing to do so.

The court heard that Mr O’Brien has a job waiting for him.

Judge John O’Leary sentenced Mr O’Brien to 120 hours of community service in lieu of imprisonment.

Funded by the Local Courts Reporting Scheme