Jail time and driving ban for sulky-racers

Five men are each facing five months in jail and six-year driving bans after being convicted of dangerous driving during a sulky race on the main Cork to Limerick road.

At Cork District Court yesterday, Judge Olan Kelleher said the driving was “as bad as it gets” after being shown YouTube footage of the race.

“This race caused havoc to the people of Cork,” he said. “Those involved showed total disregard for other road users.”

With almost 500,000 views, the four-minute clip shows two men racing horse-drawn sulkies north along the N20 near Blarney at around 8am on May 5 in a pre-arranged race between Christy’s Filly and Russian Lady.

They are followed by a convoy of car and vans which swerve all over the road.

The clip shows one of the riders and the convoy ignore Garda cars as they try to halt the race.

Several motorists were forced to take evasive action as, at some stages, the convoy following the race was driving four-abreast.

Insp Pat Meaney said it posed a serious risk to other road users and it was lucky nobody was injured.

Six men yesterday pleaded guilty to several offences, including dangerous driving and willful obstruction.

Bernie McDonagh, 20, of the halting site at Nash’s Boreen, Cork, who was driving a white Transit van during the race; Jimmy O’Brien, 28, with an address at 21 Innishannon Rd, Fair Hill, Cork who was driving an 2007 Passat; Danny Stokes, aged 46, of St Anthony’s Park halting site, who was driving a red Ford Focus; and Christopher Roche, aged 41, of St Anthony’s Park halting site, who was driving a 2006 Passat, were all convicted of dangerous driving.

Patrick O’Brien, 25, of 1 Woodford, Rossa Avenue, Cork, one of the racers, was convicted of dangerous driving of a horse-drawn vehicle.

Roche, McDonagh, Stokes, and Patrick O’Brien received €300 fines for willful obstruction of the road.

Sentencing of Stokes’s son, James, 18, of St Anthony’s Park halting site, and who was convicted of dangerous driving, was adjourned for two months.

Shane Collins-Daly, representing the five jailed men, said his clients accepted their involvement and saved the State time and money by not contesting the case.