Teen and two ‘geniuses’ drove at Garda minibus

Three young men were balanced on a small motorbike driven at speed in the direction of a Garda minibus.

The driver of the motorbike, Nicholas Crowley, 18, of 9 Fairfield Meadows, Fair Hill, Cork, pleaded guilty yesterday to three charges arising out of the potentially dangerous incident.

The other two youths referred to in the case were not before Cork District Court yesterday.

Inspector Adrian Gamble said: “It could have been more serious, probably more so for himself and the two geniuses on the back of the motorcycle with him.”

Crowley had three previous convictions for dangerous driving, two for driving a vehicle without the owner’s permission and two for no insurance.

On this occasion, the prosecuting inspector and Judge Aingil Ní Chondúin accepted Crowley’s plea of guilty to the charge of careless rather than dangerous driving. He also admitted having no insurance or licence.

Defence solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher said that through an innovation diversion project, Crowley had been putting his fascination with motorbikes into something more structured. The scheme included driving motocross at designated off-road facilities.

Judge Ní Chondúin said she would adjourn sentencing until July 11, and said he had to behave himself until then.