A Laois man who crashed his car into a miniature steam engine during a St Patrick's Day parade last year has been banned from driving for life due to his debilitating medical condition. Raymond Barrett (60) was convicted of dangerous driving and abusive behaviour after the incident, which resulted in injuries to a woman and her nephew. The judge accepted that Barrett has multiple sclerosis, but stated his mobility was so compromised that he could not drive safely.
A Laois man who crashed his car into a miniature steam engine during a St Patrick’s Day parade last year has been told by a judge that he cannot ever drive again because of his debilitating medical condition.
Counsel for Barrett, Brian Mallon BL, said the accused had difficulty in getting to court as he was living alone in an extremely isolated rural area. A shopkeeper from Stradbally, Sylvester Phelan, gave evidence on behalf of the accused that the case was “so bad” that it represented special and extreme circumstances. “If Raymond Barrett was an animal, he would have been rescued a year ago,” said Mr Phelan.
“That’s no joke for anybody, particularly a young boy,” he added. At a previous sitting of the court, evidence was heard that Barrett had told Garda Brian Kelly, who had arrived at the scene of the collision, to “f**k off” as well as calling him “two ends of a p***k.” Video footage of the crash, which was shared widely on social media, was also shown in court. At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Judge Cody observed that Barrett had demonstrated a very poor attitude at the scene of the crash. “He showed little or no care for the injured and was more concerned about keeping the keys of his car,” the judge remarked.
He noted that Barrett had belatedly surrendered his driving licence last September. However, the judge said he was concerned that the accused had subsequently been stopped by gardaí while driving which he said would be a matter “for another day.”
DRIVING BAN ACCIDENT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ST PATRICK's DAY IRELAND
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