Tallaght man with 61 previous convictions gets five-month suspended sentence for driving on wrong side of road

By Brendan Grehan

A DRIVER who was caught driving on the wrong side of the road received a five-month suspended sentence in Tallaght Court. Judge Patricia McNamara also banned Neil Guerrine from driving for three years.

Guerrine, aged 31, with an address at Cloonmore Road, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to careless driving, no insurance and no NCT at Fortunestown Road in Tallaght on April 10, 2016.

He was originally charged with dangerous driving but a plea was accepted to the lesser charge of careless driving.

The incident happened at Fortunestown Road, Tallaght, shortly before 5pm on April 10 last year.

Sergeant Michael Ahern told Judge McNamara that just before 5pm on April 10, 2016, gardai were on vehicle patrol when they came across Guerrine, who was driving a grey Nissan Almera on the wrong side of the road.

When Guerrine saw the gardai he drove away at speed.

The car was later found abandoned on Cloonmore Road.

Sgt Ahern said gardai later made the demand for Guerrine to show his insurance and NCT certificate but he failed to produce them.

Judge McNamara heard that Guerrine has 61 previous convictions, including four for driving without insurance and three for dangerous driving.

Guerrine’s counsel, Stephen Montgomery BL, said his client has a young child and his partner is pregnant. He injured his wrist some time ago and is out of work and on sickness benefit.

Mr Montgomery asked the judge to give his client “one final chance”.

Judge McNamara sentenced Guerrine to five months imprisonment, suspended for one year and imposed a three-year driving ban.