Drink-drive councillor fled and hid in bushes

A serving county councillor who had headed a Joint Policing Committee was yesterday convicted of a drink driving charge.

Fine Gael’s Michael Hegarty tried to avoid a Garda checkpoint and drove into a church yard, where he jumped over a wall and hid in bushes, before later emerging.

He contested the case on the grounds of being improperly deprived of his liberty, as he was arrested prior to being breathalysed.