Motorist banned from driving for six years for no insurance and giving false details
A MOTORIST "didn’t get very far" when he gave gardai a false name after they stopped him driving while he was already under disqualification.
James Lawrence was "always going to be caught" when gardai checked the name, his defence accepted at Blanchardstown District Court.
Blanchardstown District Court.
Judge David McHugh banned him from driving for six years and put him on a bond to keep the peace for 12 months.
Lawrence, aged 22, with an address at Burgage Gardens, Newcastle, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and giving gardai false details.
The court heard gardai were on patrol at Lucan-Newlands Road on October 8 this year when they saw a car with full headlights on and stopped the driver.
He gave his name as Martin Stokes and gardai could not find a record on the system so asked him for his licence. He took a provisional licence from his pocket which confirmed his real name.
The accused had two previous convictions for uninsured driving and was given a four-year ban in 2017, the court heard.
Lawrence “didn’t get very far” when he gave the gardai a false name, his solicitor Simon Fleming said.
“He was always going to be caught,” Mr Fleming said, adding that Lawrence, who was from a Travelling background was married with two children and the incident was “a very stupid thing for him to be involved in.”
“It would have been open to him to play ducks and drakes with the court, but he hasn’t done that, he’s fallen on his sword,” Mr Fleming said.
He said he had told the accused the jeopardy he had put himself in “with this carry on” and asked the judge not to give his client a custodial sentence.
