Garda pursuit reached speeds of 180km/h

Dangerous high-speed driving across North Cork in a stolen car at around 11am forced gardaí and people working on the roads to jump to safety, a court has heard.

At Cork District Court yesterday, Anthony Lee Douglas, of 25 Cushing Place, Farranree, pleaded guilty to 17 charges, including nine incidents of dangerous driving, two of burglary, and two of stealing cars.

Garda Michael Ring of the Garda Traffic Corp said Douglas was drunk at the time of the dangerous driving escapade on Sept 3.

Douglas hit speeds of 180km/h as he was pursued by gardaí for almost an hour.

By the end of the pursuit, patrol cars from the Traffic Corp and the Blarney and Ballincollig districts were involved. It only ended after Douglas drove across the Boggeragh mountains, on to Millstreet, and into Ballyday village, where he ended up driving down a cul de sac.

Judge Leo Malone imposed an overall sentence of six months and disqualified Douglas from driving for four years, expressing the doubt that he would ever get insurance.

Emmet Boyle, solicitor, said the litany of offences was inexplicable and said Douglas had been treated for psychiatric illness in the past.

Garda Ring said that the day before the high-speed chase, Douglas burgled a house at Vaughan’s Pass, Bantry, stole the car and was pursued by Macroom traffic corp patrol car but he managed to escape, abandoning the car at Slievereagh, Ballyvourney, where he stole another car.

At 10.30am on Sept 3, he approached a Garda checkpoint at Canon’s Cross, Inniscarra, and took off without stopping. He travelled at high speeds and through junctions where he had no right of way at speeds of up to 180 km/h.

The pursuit brought Douglas and gardaí through Leemount, Cloghroe, Vicarstown Cross at Mathey, Crean’s Cross, Killenleigh Cross, Rylane village, Millstreet, and Ballyday.

Douglas drove through a number of checkpoints on the way, forcing gardaí to jump to safety. Collisions with two road workers were also narrowly avoided, said Garda Ring.