Banned driver chased by gardai

A man was sentenced to prison at Nenagh District Court after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance and to driving without a licence.

On November 19 last, Paddy Bailey (27) of Ormond Keep, Nenagh, was observed driving by guards in Nenagh, who then attempted to stop him. Mr Bailey subsequently drove in a dangerous manner through Nenagh, taking a sharp turn onto Church Road.

Mr Bailey was pursued out of town by members of an Garda Síochána and travelled at a speed of 150km in an 80km zone. Mr Bailey also overtook a number of vehicles in a dangerous manner, narrowly missing oncoming traffic. At the time of this incident, Mr Bailey was disqualified from driving, which meant he did not have insurance.

The court heard that Mr Bailey, who is currently incarcerated, was availing of the Bedford Row project and was making “huge progress” while in custody.

Judge Elizabeth Healy took note of the fact that Mr Bailey had entered a plea of guilty to all matters in Nenagh District Court and that he had written a letter to the judge about his circumstances. Judge Healy said that the most important thing was that he was taking responsibility for his actions but that she also had to take into account that his previous convictions were relevant to these charges.

Mr Bailey was convicted under Section 53 of the Road Traffic Act and sentenced to four months in prison. This sentence was marked as concurrent to the sentence that Mr Bailey is currently serving. Mr Bailey was also disqualified from driving.

Mr Bailey was also convicted of driving without a driving license and was sentenced to one month in prison, which was also marked as concurrent.

He was also convicted of driving without insurance and sentenced to a consecutive two months in prison. Mr Bailey was also disqualified from driving for four years.