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A MOTORCYCLE RIDER who was unexpectedly called to work while attending a funeral where he was drinking has been taken out of circulation for two years.
The restaurateur Maria Costigan (34) had not planned to go to work, but a colleague had an accident and had to enter.
Judge Dermot Dempsey fined Costigan 300 euros and disqualified her from driving for two years.
The defendant, of Ardcath Hall, Ardcath, Co Meath, was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol on the Delvin R132 bridge on August 29, 2019. Garda Ciaran McQuaid said he was operating a checkpoint when he stopped Costigan, driving a red BMW.
Gda McQuaid said that when Costigan took a breathalyzer at the Garda station, he got a reading of 49 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath.
Gda McQuaid did not file the original intoxicant’s certificate in court, however a copy was provided.
The matter was adjourned on pleading, and when the matter returned to court, defense attorney Martin Dully agreed that gardaí could produce a true copy.
Dully said Costigan would not present evidence and Judge Dempsey found her guilty of driving under the influence.
Dully said that Costigan owned a small business and had a restaurant in Balbriggan.
On the day in question, she had been attending a funeral, but was called to work because one of her employees had been in an accident.
Dully said Costigan’s business had been closed for most of 2020 due to Covid-19, and the judge agreed to postpone the ban for six months.
Online editors
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