Jailed for driving without insurance

An Athlone man has been jailed for five months, and disqualified from driving for four years, for driving without insurance.

Gary O’Donnell (43), with an address at Marine View, Athlone, appeared in custody before Judge Bernadette Owens at Athlone District Court on Wednesday, April 1.

He was facing a charge of driving without insurance at Applegreen, Arcadia Retail Park, Athlone, on October 8, 2024.

He entered a guilty plea to the charge and has a number of relevant previous convictions, the court was told.

Previously, he was directed to complete a pro-social driving course, with Judge Owens intending to direct Community Service.

However, the court heard he has not completed the course and is not in a position to complete Community Service as he has been in custody since January 28.

With that in mind, Judge Owens said she was imposing her original sentence of five months imprisonment, backdated to January 28. She also disqualified him from driving for four years.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme