Wife would have made me pay fine, Fine Gael senator tells court

A Fine Gael senator has had a summons for illegal parking against him dismissed after he told the court he never saw the notice placed on his windscreen or any follow up warnings — and his wife would have made him pay the fine if the notice arrived at the house.

Senator Tom Sheahan, Fine Gael spokesperson in the Seanad for Public Expenditure and Reform specialising in infrastructural issues, also denied the allegation of parking on a clearway at Main Street, Killarney, on March 31 last.

The senator took the witness stand and said he was making a lodgement at AIB bank at Main Street on the date, and he had previously highlighted issues of security with regard to lack of parking in the area.

Kerry County Council traffic warden Seamus Doherty told the court he had placed a fixed charge notice on the 04 D car owned by Tom Sheahan of Rathbeg, Rathmore, Co Kerry.

The car was parked in a clearway. The fine was not paid he told council solicitor Ger MacSweeny.

Cross-examined by Eoin Brosnan, solicitor for Senator Sheahan, Mr Doherty said the notice had been fixed on the windscreen of the car.

He had no recollection of the weather on the day —whether it was windy or not — the warden replied to questions from Judge James O’Connor.

Called by his solicitor Eoin Brosnan, Senator Sheahan said he was making a lodgement in AIB bank on the date and when he returned to his car he noticed nothing. The first he knew of the matter was when he received a summons.

Cross-examined by Mr MacSweeny, Senator Sheahan said he was parked across the road from AIB bank and he believed the clearway was behind him.

He denied receiving subsequent communication from the council which the court was told was normal practice for the council with regard to unpaid fines.

“If I had received that, my wife (Mary) would have made me pay it,” Senator Sheahan said.

At this point the Judge James O’Connor quipped: “She who must be obeyed!”

Senator Sheahan continued that in his “professional capacity” (as a senator) he had highlighted the lack of parking outside AIB bank for people wishing to transact a couple of minutes business at the bank.

“It is only a matter of time someone is going to be assaulted and robbed,” he predicted.

It was ” ironic” that he should end up in court over the issue of parking near the bank, he added.

Judge James O’Connor dismissed the summons.

According to Killarney Town Council, the initial fine for parking in a clearway is €40, after 28 days it rises to €60 and on prosecution the fine is higher.