Crashed stolen car while drunk

A CO. MONAGHAN native has been jailed for five months after he admitted crashing a stolen vehicle into a concrete fence in north Leitrim.

Paul Druse, 46, from Ard na Gaoithe, Konckatallon, Co. Monaghan, pleaded guilty at Manorhamilton District Court to charges of drunk driving, dangerous driving, no insurance, criminal damage to a vehicle, unauthorised taking of a vehicle on August 5 at Moneenshinnagh, Manorhamilton, last year.

Garda McGovern told the court he was alerted that a vehicle stolen in Galway had been spotted in the Glenfarne area.

Gardaí drove to that area, but as the defendant spotted them, he turned sharply to the left and crashed into a concrete fence.

It caused €12,500 in criminal damage to the vehicle.

The defendant had been driving at a high speed, the court heard.

The garda said the defendant was “extremely lucky” to only sustain minor injuries as the concrete fence posts had gone through the window of his vehicle.

The defendant was taken to Sligo University Hospital where a subsequent blood alcohol reading showed 105mcgs of blood per 100 mls of blood. The defendant had no insurance either, the court heard.

He was arrested and jailed in Castlerea.

His vehicle was a write-off and had to be scrapped.

Two solicitors, Gerry McGovern and Kieran Ryan, represented the defendant.

Mr Ryan said the defendant had made an early plea and apologised to the court. The solicitor said the defendant had a “poor record” but these matters were all related to an “underlying alcohol addiction”.

But, he said, Mr Druse was determined to turn his life around and had gone for a 12-week addiction treatment course which finished last January. He had also been going to AA meetings, the court heard.

The defendant was currently in custody on other matters and was due for release in November.

The solicitor said: “He accepts that what he did was totally and utterly reckless.”.

Mr McGovern said the defendant’s problems with alcohol had led him into prison all his life. “He knows he will never get his life right until he gets his addiction looked after,” he said. The judge jailed the defendant for five months for drunk driving and banned him from driving for eight years. He gave the defendant a similar sentence for dangerous driving with a concurrent driving ban. And he gave him a similar sentence for causing criminal damage to the car with no driving ban.

The judge gave him another fivemonth jail sentence for unauthorised taking of a vehicle and another concurrent driving ban. And a similar sentence was imposed for having no insurance. All sentences were concurrent.

A charge of failing to appear in court was taken into consideration.