Martina Dunne (66), with an address at Seamount Drive, Newcastle, Co Wicklow, appeared at a sitting of Bray District Court.
The accused pleaded guilty to one count of having no insurance and one charge of driving without a licence.
Garda Sergeant Mick Canavan told the court that on November 27, 2025, gardaí stopped the defendant in a grey Dacia at a checkpoint in Rathnew.
After further enquiries, it was discovered that Ms Dunne was a disqualified driver and had no valid insurance documentation.
Ms Dunne has 13 previous convictions, with her most recent coming from Wicklow District Court sitting at Bray, where she was disqualified from driving for three years.
The court also heard that in 2021, at a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court, Ms Dunne was fined for a hit-and-run incident.
Solicitor for the accused, Brendan Maloney, said his client has “a bad record”, but noted that she is a widow following the death of her husband.
He added that on the day of the incident Ms Dunne received a call that her 93-year-old brother was unwell, prompting her to drive to assist him.
In mitigation, the court heard that Ms Dunne has five adult children and works part-time as a cook in a crèche in Dublin, earning €170 per week.
Mr Maloney appealed for leniency, saying the accused also helps her family by collecting her grandchildren from school. Judge David Kennedy remarked that if she was “a couple of years younger I would have sent you to jail”.
He disqualified Ms Dunne from driving for a further five years, fined her €1,000 and imposed a six-month custodial sentence, which he suspended in full.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme