Pensioner convicted of four motoring offences

A CAR he had been given by a friend landed Colm Kiely of Dancing Moons, Coolnagloose, Inch before the District Court in Gorey.

Garda Carol Doyle pulled the accused 68-year-old up at the scene of a crash in Limbrick, Kilanerin on May 23 last year.

She noted that the registration number on the tax disc display in the windscreen did not match the vehicle and that the disc had been altered to read 2016 rather than 2015.

The NCT was also for a different vehicle and this disc had been altered too, Garda Doyle reported.

Judge Gerard Haughton learned that though Kiely had been insured to drive the car since the previous February, a man called Liam Murphy remained the registered owner.

In court, Kiely explained that Murphy had been his friend for a number of years and had gifted him (the defendant) the car when his own vehicle broke down.

The accused insisted that he never touched the discs which were in the window when he acquired the car, never so much as looked at them.

He explained that he had no money at the time to pay for motor tax and, in any event, he did not have the log book.

Judge Gerard Haughton accepted that Kiely did not knowingly exhibit false discs, though the tax disc was clearly defaced with tippex.

However, four convictions were recorded against the pensioner divorcé – for failure to report change of vehicle ownership (fine €100); for using a false tax disc (€150); for driving without valid motor tax (€300); for having no valid NCT (€100).

The court was assured that the crashed car was never put back on to the road.