WhatsApp message about a sick child sees Gardai searching Pulse to calculate Tuam motorist’s penalty points total

Fri, Jun 26, 2026

A sick child and a WhatsApp message from his wife regarding the medication needed from the pharmacist landed a Tuam motorist with five more penalty points to add to the five he already had.

There was a flurry of activity in Tuam Court as Gardaí consulted the Pulse system on their phones to assist Judge James Faughnan in finding out whether Finbar Morgan Ward of 10 Tirboy, Tuam had penalty points on his driving licence.

Mr Ward, who represented himself and pleaded guilty to holding a phone while driving, told the Judge that he couldn’t remember if he had any penalty points.