Woman is put off the road for drink driving

A BALLYFAD woman has been put off the road after being convicted of drunken driving at Arklow District Court on Wednesday.

Siobhan Leonard of Ballyfad, Coolgreany, Co Wexford, was charged with drunken driving at Sea Road, Arklow on May 2, 2017.

Garda Peter McGinley gave evidence that close to 2 a.m. on the night in question, he saw a vehicle coming towards him in the patrol car that swerved suddenly and then continued driving. He turned the garda car around and followed the car into the car park of the Arklow Bay Hotel, where it had been driven up and parked on a grass verge inside the entrance.

The court heard that when Garda McGinley approached the vehicle, the defendant was sitting in the driver’s seat.

He said that he got a smell of alcohol from Ms Leonard, that she was unsteady on her feet when she emerged from the vehicle and her speech was slurred. She failed a roadside breath test and was arrested and brought to Arklow Garda Station.

Following a failed attempt to give a breath sample at the station, a urine sample was provided which yielded a reading of 188mg alcohol to 100 ml urine.

Defence for Ms Leonard put it to the garda that during the time it took him to turn the patrol car around and reach his client, that she would have had time to get out of the car and sit into the driver’s seat and he argued that there was a reasonable element of doubt as to whether or not she was the driver.

He also argued that the garda’s evidence confirmed he did not see Ms Leonard driving.

Judge Kennedy refused direction and said that he was not satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that the defendant was not the driver.

He imposed a two-year driving ban and a fine of €750.