‘It was not me’: Limerick Judge convicts Romanian man with no ‘credibility’

A ROMANIAN man who told a judge that gardaí mistook him for his brother, has been convicted of a number of road traffic offences which took place on a busy Limerick road. 

Martin Muntean, with a home address at Warren Drive, Boyle, Roscommon, was stopped for driving 104 km/h in a 60 zone on the Ballysimon Road, Limerick on November 27, 2023.

Mr Muntean was found sitting on his seatbelt. Following a “lengthy encounter" with Garda Aidan Coffey, it was established that Mr Muntean was driving unaccompanied with a learner’s licence, and had no L plates displayed on his vehicle, and no insurance or tax on the vehicle.

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It also came to light that Mr Muntean was not the registered owner of the vehicle. In response, Mr Muntean said that he had bought the car from his cousin.

The court heard that Garda Coffey then seized the vehicle in accordance with Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act. Mr Muntean pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Giving evidence to Judge Patricia Harney in Limerick City District Court, the man said: “It was not me”. Mr Muntean proceeded to claim that it was his brother who was driving the vehicle while pretending to be him.

Garda Coffey refuted this, and said that Mr Muntean’s face matched the image on the learner’s licence and on the driver’s database on the date in question, and that he was satisfied that it was Mr Muntean who he stopped.

Mr Muntean asserted that he was at home when the crime took place and restated his claim that his brother took his license and committed the offences whilst pretending to be him.

Prosecuting Sergeant Denis Waters asked Mr Muntean why he didn’t bring his brother to court. The Romanian national responded that “he is always leaving the country”, and said that he has no idea where his brother has been since 2023.

Solicitor Darach McCarthy told the court: “It is a case that has grown some legs over time” and that Mr Muntean maintains that his story is “the truth”.

In mitigation, the solicitor said that Mr Muntean is a “young man, from Romania originally” and the father to three children. Mr McCarthy then went on to say: “There’s only so much you can say in mitigation.”

Sergeant Waters told Judge Patricia Harney that Mr Muntean has 18 previous convictions, two for no insurance, two for no licence, three for the use of false instruments, two for not wearing a seatbelt, two public order offences, and a conviction for failing to display L plates.

Judge Patricia Harney said it was miraculous that Mr Muntean’s likeness matched his brother’s on the garda database. The judge said she found Mr Muntean’s “credibility is non-existent”, and disqualified him from driving for three years and sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment.

The judge fined Mr Muntean a total of €1,300 for driving without a learner’s licence, speeding, and failing to display a tax disc.

- Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme