Dundalk man given suspended sentence for careless driving on scrambler

A 21 year old man who took off at speed when gardai spotted him riding a scrambler motorbike in a local park, appeared to be trying to get gardai to chase him, Dundalk district court was told last week.

Martin McDonagh with an address at Castletown Road, Dundalk was prosecuted for careless driving, and driving without insurance or a driving licence at Marian Park, Dundalk on September 8th 2020.

A garda told the court last Wednesday that he was in Cox’s Demesne around 4.15pm when he observed the defendant riding the scrambler bike in a park.

He rode off towards the Castletown Road and appeared to be attempting to get the gardai to chase him.

Eight children were in the area at the time and the court heard he rode the motorbike with no hands on the handlebars at one point.

The court was told the defendant had 70 previous convictions, mostly for offences as a juvenile.

The defence solicitor said her client has been doing very well since the date of the offence when he was suffering from a chronic drug addiction,  but he’s now a father of two and no longer takes drink or drugs.

He hasn’t come to Garda attention of late, with his children described as ‘a massive factor in that’, and she added he is on a much better path.

The solicitor said he didn't realise he needed insurance or a driving licence as he was riding the scrambler on a green area.  

Judge Eirinn McKiernan imposed a two month sentence, suspended for 12 months for the careless driving offence and marked the others taken into consideration.