A YOUNG man who pleaded with a Judge to deal with the very serious motoring offences he faced, despite the fact that he was not legally represented due to the ongoing solicitors’ strike, was strongly advised not to do so by the Judge.
Loughrea District Court heard Joshua Keane (21 ), Glennaslat, Loughrea is charged with drunk driving, driving without insurance and dangerous driving on July 25, 2025.
When his case was called, the defendant told Judge Tom McSharry that the stress of the case was getting too much for him and he wanted to take his driving ban and penalties and get them out of the way.
However, Judge McSharry warned him to think seriously about what he was doing as the offences he is charged with “are jail-able”, adding that they were so serious that he was not happy with him pleading guilty without having an experienced solicitor argue for mitigation on his behalf.
Sheenagh McCarthy solr said under normal circumstances she would be representing Keane but explained: “I don’t want to break ranks with my colleagues” adding that she thought it best if she came off record in this matter as she could not represent the client due to the legal aid dispute.
Judge McSharry told the defendant he was a young man and it was important for him to be properly represented and he was not happy with him entering a guilty plea to such serious charges simply to put them behind him. “You need a good solicitor fighting for you,” the Judge told him.
After some discussion Ms McCarthy agreed to come back on record, telling the Judge her client was a “lovely young fellow” and she was saddened that she couldn’t represent him.
The Judge decided to adjourn the case until the December 2 sitting of the Court in the hope that either the legal aid dispute will be resolved or he can fund his own defence by then.
