Mother-of-two caught driving without insurance for a fourth time
A MOTHER-of-two caught driving without insurance for the fourth time has been given a suspended one-month sentence by a judge who said if she was jailed it was “the children that will suffer.”
Aisling Maxwell was warned that if she is caught driving during the 12-month suspension period, she will be sent to prison.
Blanchardstown District Court
Maxwell, aged 39, with an address at Rosse Court Grove, Balgaddy, pleaded guilty at Blanchardstown District Court to driving without insurance or a licence.
Garda Dean Foster told Judge Gerard Jones he stopped the accused driving a Toyota Avensis at Rosse Court Way on July 17, 2019. All the documents had expired.
Maxwell had 12 prior convictions, eight of which were for road traffic offences, including three for having no insurance.
She had been banned from driving for six years previously.
At the time she was stopped, Maxwell had received a “distressing phone call”, defence solicitor Anna Bridgeman said.
The accused was told in February this year that if there were no further offences, she would not be given a prison sentence, Ms Bridgeman said.
She had not been in trouble since.
Judge Jones said he was satisfied that if Maxwell went into custody “it’s the children that will suffer.”
Ms Maxwell’s five-year-old son was due to start school the day after the court hearing, Ms Bridgeman said.
“There is no point in someone else bringing him to school tomorrow and you sitting in a prison cell,” the judge told the accused.
He suspended the one-month sentence for a year, and told Maxwell not to come back before him again, and “stay away from court.”
“If you are caught driving a vehicle in the next 12 months, you will have to say bye bye to your little boy,” the judge said. “I’m giving you a break here.”
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