A man on a mercy mission with his sick dog was caught by Gardaí driving with no insurance and had his car confiscated, so he had to walk home with the dog in his arms.
This shaggy dog tale was outlined by Sheena McCarthy solr (defending ) in the case against the dog’s owner Lukasz Lachowski, Church Street, Athenry, when it came before Judge Vincent Deane at Loughrea District Court.
The Court was told that Lachowski had been put off the road for two years and fined €1,000 for driving without insurance. Soon after this conviction, he was spotted driving by Gardaí on patrol in Athenry on November 12, 2024 and stopped. As he had no insurance on this occasion as well, the Gardaí seized his car and, as a result, he had to walk home carrying his sick dog.
Ms McCarthy explained that the first ban had not yet come into force as it was fewer than 14 days after the conviction, so he was not actually driving while banned but he still had no insurance.
The tale of woe continued. Because the defendant could not drive anymore he had to get lifts to his work in Tesco.
He was running for his lift when he slipped off the footpath and shattered his foot. “He’s had a number of surgeries and has all sorts of plates and pins in his foot now and is on disability,” Ms McCarthy pleaded, adding that all his woes were as a result of him not being able to drive. She asked the Judge to be as lenient as possible.
Judge Deane said his scope to be lenient was somewhat constrained by legislation which governs such matters. He imposed a four-year driving disqualification for a second driving-without-insurance offence.
The Court wasn’t informed as to the fate of the dog.
This article is funded by Comisiún na Meán.
