Woman stopped for suspected drink driving abused gardai

A 27 year-old-old woman, Sophie Deegan of Castlelawns, Athboy abused gardai when they stopped her for suspected drug driving, Trim District Court heard.

The defendant appeared before Judge Eirinn McKiernan charged with drug driving on the R154 on 12th July 2024.

Garda Grace Murray recalled on the date she and another garda were on patrol in Trim town. They saw a Mercedes car which had no tax or insurance for 102 days. They stopped the vehicle. The defendant was driving and there were three others in the car with her. “The defendant called me a stupid c*** and a bully. I formed the opinion that she was incapable of having proper control over a vehicle because of her consumption of an intoxicant.”

The defendant was arrested and taken to the Garda station.

The defendant told her (Garda Murray) that “she did not want to look at me or speak to me.”

A doctor was called. The defendant was “very irate and aggressive”. She provided a blood sample.

Cross-examined by defending barrister Niall Gallagher, Garda Murray said earlier that day she saw the defendant and three others leave the car park of a local hotel. There were six people in a room in the hotel none of whom took ownership of drug paraphernalia that was there.

The Garda insisted she stopped the car for no tax or insurance “irrespective of my interaction earlier in the day”

Mr Gallagher pointed out that Garda Murray had said that following the visit to the hotel she said that she had stopped his client’s car “a short time later”. He said he would not consider two hours a short time later. The Garda replied that she was on a 12-hour shift so two hours “could be considered a short time later”.

The Garda said that when she encountered the defendant on the road she was “screaming at me, crying about a public order incident”. It was the Garda’s belief she was intoxicated, whether it was alcohol or drugs.” I believed it was drug driving and I told her that”. Sergeant Clarke said defendant had no previous road traffic convictions.

Mr Gallagher said that his client would not be giving evidence. Judge Eirinn McKiernan convicted the defendant and imposed a fine of €200 along with a one-year driving disqualification on her. She postponed the disqualification for two months.