Bray Courthouse.
A Wicklow man has avoided activation of a suspended sentence, but has been banned from driving for two years.
Donal Byrne (33), of 1 The Cedars, Diamond Valley, Upper Dargle Road, Bray, Wicklow, was charged with driving without a licence under Section 51 of the Road Traffic Act 1961.
Mr Byrne pleaded guilty last week at Bray District Court, but was awaiting clarification surrounding whether or not his suspended sentence from a previous conviction would be enforced.
The court heard that after the incident in question, Mr Byrne had left the country and travelled to Belarus. During his time there, Mr Byrne had decided he wanted to become a doctor.
Mr Byrne’s solicitor told the court that Mr Byrne had gained his qualifications while abroad and had dealt with his addiction to alcohol.
Mr Byrne had returned to Ireland to secure stable employment and has secured a job in a research laboratory at UCD, where he is due to start employment on September 22.
The court was told that the incident was his third vehicle related charge within a short period of time.
The court heard Mr Byrne is now married with two children, and the solicitor for Mr Byrne told the court that his client completed his studies “to make a positive contribution to society”.
Judge David Kennedy chose not to impose Mr Byrne’s suspended sentence. He instead handed out a €500 fine and disqualified Mr Byrne from driving for a period of two years.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme