Gave false name to Gardai

A MAN who drove uninsured to get to a methadone meeting was brought before the court in custody from the Midlands prison to face a total of four charges.

Keith Croasdell (26) with an address listed as 13 Viking Wharf, Enniscorthy, was charged with driving without insurance or a licence, failure to produce insurance and giving a false name and address when stopped by gardaí at Moyne Lower on June 4 of last year.

Croasdell, who is currently serving a five month prison sentence for driving without insurance, pleaded guilty to all charges through his solicitor Ian Bracken.

The court heard that on the day in question, Croasdell gave the name Seamus O’Halloran with an address in Arklow. Mr Bracken said that his client had problems with drugs and was on his way to a methadone meeting driving his father’s car at the time.

Mr Bracken said that, since going into custody, his client was now free of all drugs including methadone. He said that Croasdell’s partner had given birth to a child in the past two weeks and that this had ‘focused his mind’ and provided a ‘fresh opportunity and motivation’ to clean up his act.

Judge Bernadette Ryan opted to hand Croasdell a four month sentence and a six year driving ban on the no insurance charge and another concurrent four month sentence on the charge of giving a false name and address. The other charges were taken into consideration.