Teen convicted over sulky race avoids jail

The youngest of the men convicted of involvement in a sulky race on the main Cork to Limerick road, which became a YouTube sensation, avoided jail yesterday for his part in the dangerous escapade.

Judge Olann Kelleher recalled at Cork District Court that a number of the participants in the race involving horse-drawn sulky cars on the dual carriageway had been jailed.

However, the judge said that he was taking into consideration the fact that James Stokes was only 17 at the time of the event.

Judge Kelleher fined Stokes €250 on a charge of dangerous driving. Stokes, now aged 18, from St Anthony’s Park halting site in Knocknaheeny, Cork, was also put on a probation bond for nine months on condition that he would comply with the conditions imposed on him by the probation service and not come to the attention of gardaí.

The offence was committed on May 5, 2012, on the main Cork-Mallow road, the N20, near Ballygibbon, Blarney, Co Cork.

The incident was recorded on film by one of several dozen onlookers who were following the race in a convoy of cars and vans.

Clips of the incident, posted on YouTube, have been viewed more than 500,000 times.