RTE’S probe reveals boozed-up motorists are escaping justice

LESS than half of all drink-driving offences resulted in a conviction last year, an investigation has revealed.

And in Waterford only 34% of prosecutions were successful. RTE Investigates – Law and Disorder also found Kilkenny had a conviction rate of 43% while in Leitrim it’s 45%.

Official figures revealed of the nearly 5,000 drink driving offences before the District Court last year, convictions were recorded in only 58% of cases.

In nearly 972 cases where the summons was not served the conviction rate where intoxication has been measured scientifically falls to 48%.

RTE found one man from Newbridge, Co Kildare, was arrested for drink-driving in Cork in 2015. His case was later struck out as the summons wasn’t served.

Two years later, he ran over and fatally injured councillor Willie Crowley in Co Kildare and was jailed for four years.

Family friend Cllr Morgan Mccabe said: “He was making his way home, crossing the road and this car just came tearing down the road and took him out.

“It was an awful accident by all accounts and the driver left the scene and drove away.

“Willie ended up in hospital, he was in a coma, and three days later he passed. Everyone was devastated.”

The probe also found Poor Box contributions in Co Kerry, which allow the defendant to escape conviction and penalty points, amounted to €394,000 – more than a quarter of the national total. The High Court ruled in 2014 “the District Court enjoys no jurisdiction to impose an informal sanction such as accepting a donation to the poor box, as this would amount to an indirect circumvention of the law”.

But even after the high court ruling on the issue, 843 cases were dealt with by the poor box in 2015.

The number fell to 258 in 2016 but stayed at approximately the same level with 223 in the first nine months of this year, as shown in figures provided in response to a parliamentary question.

The Courts Service figures, which record money paid into the court’s poor box and not donations that a judge orders to be paid directly to a charity, show the court poor box of Mayo paid out €9,930 to charities.

In addition, An Garda Siochana says around 15% of drink-driving summonses do not get served.

While Gardai declined to comment on the Crowley case, in a statement it said it “takes its role in the serving of summons very seriously and recognises further improvement is required in this area.”

of drink-drive cases result in a successful prosecution in Waterford

recorded cases where the summons was not even served

years – sentence handed to driver who killed Cllr Willie Crowley