A judge has imposed a
night-time driving curfew on a student who drove at
speeds of 130kph with his heavily pregnant
girlfriend in the car. Patrick Long originally from
Priestown, Carn but with an address at 4 Griffith
Park, Culmore, Derry, appeared at Carndonagh
District Court where he pleaded guilty to driving at
high speed, in bad weather, on narrow, twisting
roads near Malin, Co Donegal, on September 4, last.
The court heard that the defendant, a 19 year old
management student, was spotted by an unmarked
patrol car at 10.30pm. Gardai followed but
"struggled to keep up with him" as he persistently
drove at speeds of around 130kph in an 80kph zone.
Judge Seamus Hughes described the speed as
“horrendous”. The teenager’s girlfriend, who
accompanied him to court, told the judge they had
since celebrated the birth of their baby.
Judge Hughes imposed a curfew, banning the defendant
from driving between 1am and 7am for the next four
months. He also ordered him to pay a fine of €150. |
