A CLONAKILTY motorist narrowly avoided colliding with two garda cyclists who were out training, a court heard this week.
Denis O’Callaghan (41) of Sunmount Lodge, Ballyvackey, Clonakilty pleaded guilty to careless driving at Clonakilty District Court.
Sgt Tom Mulcahy told Judge Joanne Carroll that at 3.20pm on September 17th last year five cyclists, who are all members of An Garda Síochána, were on a training course and had been making their way back to the Aghamilla GAA Complex outside Clonakilty.
‘They were at Ballyvackey and had the right of way when the accused driving a BMW went through the road without stopping narrowly missing two cyclists,’ said Sgt Mulcahy.
The court heard that the accused has eight previous convictions, including two for careless driving dating back to 2012.
Defence solicitor Colette McCarthy said her client, a father-of-two, was crossing onto a minor road and he didn’t see them and fully accepts that he was at fault.
Judge Carroll accepted there had been an ‘error of judgement’ on the part of Mr O’Callaghan and that he was entitled to be treated with a fixed penalty notice and struck out the matter.
