A MOTORIST driving under the influence of drugs was followed for several miles by another driver after he observed the car veering in and out of the hard shoulder, a court heard last week.

Daniel Murphy (30) Leighmoney Beg, Dunderrow, Kinsale appeared at Bandon District Court where he pleaded guilty to careless driving, driving under the influence of an intoxicant and the possession of cannabis and LSD.

Sgt Tom Mulcahy told Judge Joanne Carroll that at 7.25pm on May 31st 2024 a witness driving his motorbike on the N71 from Cork noticed a white transporter van moving into the hard shoulder.

‘He kept pulling in and out of the hard shoulder and the witness went and overtook him by the Viaduct and could see he was driving on his own,’ said Sgt Mulcahy.

‘The van took off at speed and the witness followed him and could see the car veering on both sides of the ditches.’

The court heard that the witness rang gardaí and was speaking to them and providing updates on the situation.

‘At Ballinhassig cross the accused got out of his van and demanded to know why the witness was following him. Mr Murphy again took off and the witness again followed him.’

Mr Murphy was seen taking bends on the wrong side of the road and he then pulled into a farmer’s lane. Gardaí arrived and a drugs swab test detected cocaine in his system.

Cannabis resin with a street value of €300 and LSD with a value of €50 were found in the van.

Defence solicitor Éamonn Fleming said his client, who works as a landscape gardener and has no previous convictions, was suffering depression at the time following the death of his father.

Addressing the court, Mr Murphy said he has taken steps to move away from making those decisions. ‘I have put systems in place and am more focused now,’ he said.

Judge Carroll disqualified him from driving for 12 months on the driving while under an intoxicant charge, deferred until March 2026, and admitted him to a probation bond for 12 months on the cannabis possession charge.

She also convicted and fined him €200 on the careless driving charge and she struck out the other drug possession charge.