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A young motorist has been banned from the roads for 20 years for continuing to violate disqualification orders and dangerously uninsured driving.
Judge Olann Kelleher also imposed a jail term of 19 months on Darren Coffey as a result of five more times he was caught for driving incidents.
On some occasions he sped away from the gardaí activating blue lights and sirens behind him.
Judge Kelleher said that in one of the most alarming incidents, he was caught driving two days after being caught for another similar crime.
When the 19-month sentence and the 20-year ban were imposed, Darren Coffey complained: “You are not giving me a chance, it’s crazy.”
Judge Kelleher imposed multiple consecutive sentences totaling 15 months in Cork District Court, but then lifted the suspension of a previous four-month suspended sentence and said it had to be consecutive.
Sgt. John Kelleher said Darren Coffey, without a fixed address, had a total of 115 prior convictions, 18 of which were for driving without insurance and 12 for dangerous driving.
The defendant was pulled over on Vicars Road for driving without insurance on July 8. Two days later he was seen driving on South Ring Road driving another car and sped up when the Gardaí signaled him to stop.
He drove through three traffic lights that were red against him, forcing at least one other vehicle to take evasive action to avoid a crash. In the Sarsfield Road area he jumped out of the car and tried to flee, but was stopped by Gardaí.
By August 3, he was involved in another driving incident at Christy Ring Bridge, again without insurance and while he was disqualified.
On October 23 he walked away from chasing gardaí on Old Youghal Road, Cork, and finally at lunchtime on November 4 he stopped for a garda, but as the guard was walking towards his car, Coffey sped away.
Eddie Burke, a lawyer, said the 29-year-old had a horrendous upbringing and has spent most of his life in custody. Mr. Burke said that the young man had many addictions that he was now trying to address.
“His partner is pregnant and she has supported him through his difficulties. He has seen the error of his ways, ”Burke said.
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