A defence solicitor admitted to a Judge that his client had “a horrendous history” when he was pleading to keep him out of prison at Tuam District Court.
Before Judge James Faughnan was John Reilly, 6, Country Meadows, Tuam who was told by the Judge that he was putting the option of a custodial sentence back for a year, warning him that the longer he stayed out of trouble the further the likelihood of prison would recede.
The court heard that Reilly was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving at Sylane, Tuam on November 11, 2024.
The defendant tested positive for alcohol and in addition he was driving without insurance.
Judge Faughnan was told that Reilly had 50 previous convictions, including several for driving without insurance, and had been put off the road for the offence for four years and received an eight-month prison sentence last March.
James Glynn, solicitor (defending ) admitted his client had “a horrendous history” and he appreciated that a custodial sentence was on the cards.
Judge Faughnan agreed but said he’d put that aspect of sentencing back for a year, saying that the longer Reilly stayed out of trouble, the more a prison sentence would recede.
Disqualifying the defendant from driving for a further four years and setting February 2027 for the adjourned aspect of the case, the Judge said: “Whether he goes to prison or not is up to him.”
