Mini bus driver was distracted by passenger

A mini-bus driver for people with disabilities said he was distracted by a passenger videoing him as he drove and didn’t realise he was speeding. Michael Kielty of Stonepark, Ballymote, was charged with a speed of 74KM in a 50KM zone on January 27 th last in Ballincar. Inspector Paul Kilcoyne told the court the defendant was very nervous and read a letter from him. In it he said he is a mini-bus driver for people with disabilities. He was driving between Cregg House and Sligo on the day in question. There was a new client, a 19-year-old woman, whose family requested sit at the front of the bus. The woman’s behaviour became inappropriate as she began taking photos and videos on her phone of him and he asked her to stop filming him. “She was taking photos and videos of me and I told her to stop filming me.

“I asked her to put the camera away, and then I realised I had not slowed down for the traffic calming area,” he said. Inspector Kilrane said he accepted the defence and Judge Kevin Kilrane struck out the matter.