Mum may face jail for no insurance
A mother-of-six with an “appalling record” is to be assessed for Community Service in a bid to avoid prison for repeatedly driving without insurance.
Margaret Philomena Ward (30) of Parklands Crescent Estate, Tubbercurry, also known as Phylis Ward, appeared before Tubbercurry District Court last Wednesday to plead guilty to six road traffic offences in January 2017.
Ward pleaded guilty to driving without road tax on 25 th January 2017 on the Ballymote Road, Tubbercurry. She also pleaded guilty to driving without insurance or a driver’s licence a week later on January 31st 2017.
Inspector Paraic Burke told Judge Deirdre Gearty that when stopped on the first occasion, Gardaí noticed Ward’s car tax had expired in April 2016.
On the second occasion she was stopped, Ward had no tax displayed and couldn’t produce any driver’s licence or insurance documents. She was asked to provide these at her nearest Garda station within ten days but failed to do so.
The court heard Ward was convicted in June of last year at Sligo District Court of having no insurance and disqualified for four years. She had also been given the benefit of the Probation Act in July 2016 for having no road tax.
Ward was given a three year suspended prison sentence for theft at Galway District Court in 2016 and has a number of other convictions for Road Traffic offences dating back to 2012.
Defence solicitor Mr Mark Mullaney told Judge Gearty that Ward had a licence issued on 2nd February 2017 which post-dated the offences.
“You haven’t learned your lesson,” said Judge Gearty, agreeing with Mr Mullaney that Ward had “an appalling record.”
She ordered a Probation Report be carried out into whether Ward should be considered for Community Service in lieu of a prison sentence.
Mr Mullaney said his client was a 30-year-old mother of six children whose husband didn’t drive because he had been disqualified for a lengthy period.
He said her driving on those two occasions had been done out of “desperation” and two of her children and Ward herself had medical issues.
“She felt she needed to take the car,” he said.
Judge Gearty convicted and fined Ward ¤950 for the offences on 25 th of January and disqualified her from driving for six years. She ordered a Probation Report to assess her suitability for 80 hours Community Service in lieu of a two month prison sentence.
She similarly fined Ward another ¤500 for the offences on 31st January 2017 and banned her from driving for six years. All other matters were taken into consideration.
She made a similar order for a Probation Report into whether Ward should serve 80hrs Community Service in lieu of a prison sentence, to run concurrently.
Ward was remanded on continuing bail to March 28th for service of the Probation Report.
Judge Gearty agreed to postpone the start of Ward’s disqualification until February 28th 2018.