A Ballyhaunis woman who failed to show up in court after being warned at a previous sitting that the case was going to go ahead on this date was sentenced to 28 days in prison and banned from driving for two years this week.
Emma Collins (32 ) of Abbey Vale, Ballyhaunis, was seen by an off duty garda to be driving dangerously on October 7, 2008 on the road from Ballyhaunis to Ballinlough. Garda Griffin told the court he was driving from Ballyhaunis to Ballinlough when he was overtaken by a car on a broken white line, and he was then overtaken by a second car which was driven by Collins at high speed on a continuous white line. The second car continued to overtake the first car at high speed as it approached the brow of a hill. Garda Griffin then saw a third car’s break lights coming on as its driver had to apply its breaks to let Collins’s car in to avoid oncoming traffic. The two drivers then pulled over at a Costcutters at Ballinlough, where the garda approached them and spoke to Collins. He told her that he had noted her dangerous driving, to which she apologised and said she would produce her driving licence and insurance at Ballyhaunis Garda station, which she failed to do within ten days.
Garda Griffith told the court he called to Collins’s house on October 13 2008 and asked her to make a statement which she refused to do, but she did admit driving from Ballyhaunis to Ballinlough on the evening in question.
Judge Mary Devins convicted and fined Collins €1,000 for dangerous driving and disqualified her from driving for two years, she also sentenced Collins to 28 days in prison commenting that “she could have killed several people”. For non display of insurance, she was convicted and fined €50, for having no driving licence she was convicted and fined €170, for having no car tax and non display of tax, she was convicted and fined €200 and €50 respectively.
