RECOGNISANCES were fixed in the event of an appeal after a woman from Skibbereen was convicted of driving without insurance.
Solicitor Colette McCarthy told Judge Treasa Kelly at Skibbereen District Court that her client, Celine O’Donovan of Inish Alainn, Skibbereen, would ‘never have knowingly done this’.
Court presenter Sgt Tom Mulcahy said Gda Eoin O’Reilly stopped the accused driving at Schull Road on July 24th last and it subsequently emerged that there was no insurance policy in force.
Ms McCarthy explained that a direct debit payment lapse had occurred during a period in which her client had contracted double pneumonia and required hospitalisation.
She said the policy holder – Liam O’Donovan – wasn’t aware that one month of the payment had lapsed, thereby invalidating the insurance policy.
The accused did, however, go to the garda station with a new policy, dated August 8th.
‘She had no knowledge that the insurance was out and when they realised what happened, they immediately put insurance in place again,’ said Ms McCarthy.
Judge Treasa Kelly said: ‘It is a serious matter to drive with no insurance. Everyone in this courtroom who has a car has insurance.’
The judge addressed the accused directly, saying: ‘You were lucky that you didn’t have an accident or injure someone else.’
However, given the fact that the accused has no previous convictions, and is unlikely to ever let it happen again, Judge Kelly dealt with the matter by way of a €300 fine.
The judge did not impose a disqualification and she fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.
