Uninsured motorist had taken fake driving test

A DAD-of-two who was observed overtaking two cars in a dangerous manner by a garda on his way to work did not have a valid driving licence, after it emerged that a driving test he undertook in France to secure a licence was fake.

Abdelhak Soussa, with an address at the accommodation centre at Riverside Hotel, Killarney Road, Macroom pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Macroom Court.

Sgt Trish O’Sullivan told the court that at 6.40pm on May 10^th 2022, Gda Fintan Coffey was on his way to work and driving behind the defendant when he saw him overtake two cars in a dangerous manner on the N22. Gda Coffey contacted his colleagues and Mr Soussa was later intercepted by them.

‘There were three passengers, in the car including his wife and two young children, with one of them unrestrained in the car. He told the gardaí he had brought the car the week before and he did not have insurance,’ said Sgt O’Sullivan.

‘It also emerged that the driving licence he had was not valid.’

His solicitor Killian McCarthy told Judge James McNulty said his client is from Algeria originally, and was a refugee in France. While there, he paid an Algerian support group a hefty price to get a driving test in order to secure a French driver’s licence.

‘It may have been potentially naïve of him, as the driving test was not genuine, meaning his driving licence was invalid,’ said Mr McCarthy. He said his client had lived in the UK for a number of years and was the victim of a serious assault, while his brother was killed in the same incident. He and his family then moved to Ireland following this incident and are now living in refugee accommodation in Macroom, while he works in Lidl.

The court heard he has seven previous convictions, including two for driving without insurance, which occurred after this incident.

Judge McNulty convicted and fined him €400 and disqualified him from driving for two years on the dangerous driving and no insurance charge.