Navan man claimed he couldn’t give urine sample with Garda looking

A GARDA identified the car that matched the description of a vehicle that drove away from a checkpoint last autumn in Navan, Trim District Court heard on Thursday.

Garda O’Conaire recalled he was conducting a checkpoint at Athboy Road, Navan at 22.15 on 17th October last year.

He proceeded to the Saint Patrick’s Park area and saw a Hyundai that he observed earlier at the checkpoint.

He spoke with Alan Collins of Bellinter, Navan whose speech was slurred and there was smell of alcohol coming from him. He was also unsteady on his feet. The Garda formed the opinion that the 43 year-old was unfit to drive.

Mr Collins was charged with failing or refusing to provide a blood or urine sample at Navan Garda Station on 18th November last year. He was not present for the hearing of the case on Thursday.

Garda O’Conaire said he placed the defendant in handcuffs, and described the verbal abuse uttered by the defendant who called him a “p***k”.

The Garda said there was no qualified Garda available to conduct an evidenser test on the defendant. A doctor was called.

The defendant said he would not provide a blood sample, only urine. He said he couldn’t provide urine because the Garda was looking at him. He stated the Garda were watching him “like paedophiles”.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan said she was convicting the defendant. Judge McKiernan was told by Sergeant Peter Clarke that the defendant had six previous convictions for offences including motor insurance.

The Judge fined the defendant €300. She also banned him from driving for four years.

Separately, Dumitriu Bobici from Shanacloon Lane, Newtown, Kildare who was observed performing handbrake turns at the M3 Parkway train station in Dunboyne in October last year, faced a charge of dangerous driving at Trim District Court.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan reduced the charge to careless driving and fined the 30 year-old defendant €250.

- Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme