Drunk Range Rover driver had a 'good motive' – judge

‘HE acted with a good motive, trying to manage the unmanageable, but his judgement was impaired.’

That was Judge James McNulty’s view of the actions of a Swedish man, Keith Scott of Kilcoe, Skibbereen.

The court was told that the accused attempted to drive someone who became unwell at a dinner party home, but instead drove his Range Rover into a ditch.

Sgt Trish O’Sullivan, the court presenter at Bantry District Court, said it was a single vehicle accident and the offence of drink driving was investigated by Gda Jonathan McCarthy.

The sergeant said Keith Scott was present, and admitted driving, when the garda arrived at the scene at Letterlickey in Bantry on December 23rd last. The accused has no previous convictions.

Meanwhile, Mr Murphy outlined how his 57-year-old client returned from Sweden to be with his parents for a year after they became ill.

On this occasion, he said the accused had attended a dinner and a friend asked to be taken home, so he took her. ‘It was poor judgement on his part,’ the solicitor admitted.

Judge McNulty said he would deal with the drink driving charge leniently by imposing a €100 fine.

However, the conviction comes with a mandatory endorsement and a mandatory three-year disqualification, postponed to August 1st.