Four months for no insurance

A man with over 100 convictions for road traffic offences has been given a four month sentence at Drogheda District Court for driving with no insurance.

Gerard Joseph Maughan, Bay 2 Collinstown Park, Forest Road, Swords was also disqualified from driving for four years.

The court heard Maughan was stopped by gardaí at Athclare, Dunleer on May 1st, 2019 driving with no insurance or driving licence.

The defendant has 134 previous convictions, 104 of which are road traffic related including 22 for no insurance.

Defence solicitor Barry Callan said there was no doubt Mr Maughan has a very poor record.

He said the defendant went into custody shortly after this incident and at the time he was labouring under a very significant addiction to alcohol and gambling.

Mr Callan said on the date in question Maughan received a call from his wife to say she need to go to hospital.

Since going into prison Maughan has learned to read and write and after starting his term in Mountjoy he is now in Loughan House where he has enhanced prisoner status, Mr Callan added.

The solicitor asked the judge not to extend the defendant’s sentence.

However, Judge Eirinn McKiernan commented: ‘Mr Callan he has a very bad record, 22 previous convictions for no insurance.’ and said she was left with ‘no choice’ but to extend his sentence.

She convicted Maughan and imposed a four month sentence to run consecutive to his current setence and disqualified him from driving for four years.