Driver who was high on drugs avoids jail

A motorist has avoided jail after putting the lives of other motorists at risk, when he smoked cannabis before driving at speed against oncoming traffic.

On April 4, during one of a number of dangerous driving drug sprees, Robert Byrnes, 22, smashed into another car and forced other drivers off the road as he drove while high on drugs.

In another incident on June 1, 2013 Byrnes admitted driving while under the influence of drugs as he was observed by gardaí breaking a speed limit of 50km/h and swerving erratically on a road near his home.

Byrnes, of Hilltop, St Patrick’s Road, Limerick, pleaded guilty to a raft of charges under the Road Traffic Act. He was also caught by gardaí driving without insurance and without an NCT Cert, at Greenhills Road, Garryowen on August 31, 2013.

His solicitor, Sarah Ryan told the court: “This is a young man who likes his car and who likes to drive.”

On September 14, 2013, gardaí searched Byrnes’ car under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and discovered a fuel-siphoning pump wrapped in a bag “concealed” under a spare tyre in the boot.

Judge Eugene O’Kelly remarked: “Was he driving around at somebody else’s expense?”

Byrnes, who pleaded guilty to having the pump to be used in connection with a theft, was given a 10-month suspended sentence.

The defendant had six previous convictions for road traffic offences.

Byrnes’ solicitor, in mitigation, said the defendant had “no explanation” for his actions. Byrnes pleaded guilty to multiple counts under the Road Traffic Act.

In his defence, Byrnes told his solicitor he had been “swapping and changing cars” so his insurance policies didn’t cover him at the times of his arrests.

Taking into account the number of previous convictions, Judge O’Kelly imposed an eight-year driving ban for the incident on April 4. He imposed separate concurrent road bans totalling 22 years.