Motorist convicted of dangerous driving following pursuit on outskirts of Limerick city

A MAN was disqualified for two years after he was convicted of dangerous driving following a high-speed pursuit.

Oran Breen, aged 29, of Green Road, Murroe had denied the charge which related to an incident on the outskirts of the city at around 12.30am on February 19, 2017.

During a contested hearing, Garda Niall Deegan of the divisional Roads Policing Unit said while parked near Annacotty village, he observed a BMW 5 Series car which he believed was being driven above the 60km/h speed limit.

Garda Deegan said the the vehicle, which was travelling inbound, “accelerated and drove away at high speed to avoid being stopped”.

Limerick District Court was told the car was then pursued by Garda Deegan – initially through Annacotty village and later in the direction of Lisnagry and Newport.

Garda Deegan said the BMW was travelling at speed and that at one point the driver had turned off the headlights in an effort to evade him.

“Due to the speed and nature of the road, the vehicle ran the risk of leaving the road,” he said adding that Mr Breen had performed a number of dangerous overtaking manoeuvres - forcing one car to pull into the ditch.

“Both overtaking manoeuvres were done blindly, it was impossible to see oncoming traffic,” he said adding he also observed the car crossing the white line in the centre of the road.

After Garda Deegan stopped the BMW, the defendant was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and brought to Henry Street garda station for processing.

While at the garda station, Mr Breen who suffers from diabetes, informed gardai he felt unwell and was unable to supply a sample of his breath when asked to do so under the Road Traffic Act.

The regular on-call doctor was not available on the night so a doctor from Shannondoc was contacted instead resulting in a delay in a doctor arriving at the garda station.

A blood sample which was supplied at 3.38am confirmed the presence of alcohol (48milligrammes per 100ml) once analysed.

Seeking to have the dangerous driving charge dismissed, barrister Liam O’Connell submitted there was no evidence of dangerous driving at the location identified on the charge sheet.

Mr O’Connell said there was no evidence before the court as to the condition of the road or the weather conditions on the night.

“It would be unsafe to convict,” he said.

However, having considered the submissions, Judge Marian O’Leary said she was satisfied the State had proven its case.

She fined Mr Breen €500 and disqualified him for two years. An appeal against the conviction has been lodged.