Drink Driving

The Indo have a photo gallery of the Dublin celebrations. I noticed a dishevelled looking Senan Connell pictured outside The Boar’s Head yesterday morning.

I suspect Senan wasn’t just barely over the limit.

Was this former Dublin player at the wheel of the car when arrested? Don’t they have to establish proof of driving the car to get a conviction for drinking driving? If it was just left wrapped around a traffic light and there was nobody at the wheel when the cops turned up, he’ll be in with a good shout.

Did I hear on the news this morning that a load of drink driving convictions are going to be thrown out of court as the print out of the arrest from the Garda stations were only in English with no Irish translation on it?

Only you know what you heard or not

4 Likes

Yeah, there was a High Court judgement on it in the last few days.


The Government is rushing through emergency legislation to close a loophole in the law that could have seen hundreds of motorists on drink-driving charges have their prosecutions thrown out.

On the advice of the Attorney General’s Office, Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe has signed into law a replacement ‘Statutory Instrument’ which now provides that breath alcohol test statements may be produced in either the English or the Irish language.
“This was always the objective of the legislation,” Mr Donohoe said.
“In the interests of road safety, I have moved immediately to provide the new legislation deemed necessary regarding the form of the statements to be provided under section 13 of the Road Traffic Act 2010.”

High Court Judge Mr Justice Seamus Noonan yesterday said there was “no ambiguity” in a law which says that gardaí - when performing an Evidenzer alcohol breath test - must supply statements in Irish and in English.

The decision centred on a case involving Mihai Avadenei who was accused of a drink-driving offence.
His solicitor, Michael Staines, argued in the District Court that the printed statement produced following the Evidenzer test conducted on his client was not valid because it was in English only.
Statutory Instrument 541 of 2011 sets out the prescribed form and manner of statements that must be provided in both English and Irish.

The DPP argued in the District Court proceedings it brought against Mr Avadenei (29), of Lioscianan, Swords, Co Dublin, that it was not required to print the form in two languages.

However, District Court Judge Colin Gibbons ruled that the document had not been “duly completed” and asked the High Court for a confirmation of his finding.

Under the Road Traffic Act 2010, Mr Avadenei faced up to six months in jail and/or a €5,000 fine for the offence.

It is understood scores of similar cases were on hold pending the decision.

Evidenzers, which cost around €10,000 per machine, were rolled out nationally three years ago to help crack down on drink-driving.

1 Like

Fucking gypsies.

That Romanian lad has some brass neck. He was twice the amount over the legal limit when he was stopped but got off because he didn’t get a copy of it in Irish. You’ve got to admire his audacity in fairness.

If you do get caught drink driving and are found guilty in court is it an automatic three year driving ban? Poor auld Senan might be using public transport for a while.

1 Like

Cant see it being him. Had to have been his brief. Now you could call the solicitor a cunt but he was only doing his job.

Senan will get off as will anyone who up to this morning had their case under appeal or had it adjourned. Law only changed this morning.

Senan’s print only came out in english and that was unlawful at the time.

The Supreme Court will uphold the High Court decision it but it will take two years to get in there and this will limit the amount of people who will get off.

Anyone already convicted will have to wait until the Supreme Court case before their own case could be appealed, at that stage the would have their licence back.

Not right though

next time you hear a politician say they can do nothing as it is “the law” remember they can rush through emergency legislation or regulations when needs must

i wouldnt begrudge Senan a few pints after an All ireland and nobody in their right mind would go home on the bus and sit amongst smelly cunts when your car is already in town but what sort of horrible cunt takes and gets away with taking the Monday off from his teaching job to go on an alcohol binge?

Chances are he wasn’t smelling too fresh himself

Smelling of success

1 Like

It’s ironic that drink driving thread comes under the banner of “culture”

3 Likes

Senan is gonna walk.

I imagine he wishes he did now anyway. Bye bye SKY

1 Like

you’d get away with murder here in the mainland lads, there is never check points, you’d only ever be caught for the bag if you were in accident, its unreal