Appeal ruling delay sees drink driving cases being struck out

District court judges around the country are striking out drink-driving cases because of continuing delay in the Supreme Court issuing a ruling on a challenge to the law.

Last week, up to 30 cases were struck out in Dungarvan. Judge Terence Finn said a considerable amount of time had passed since the legal matter was before the courts and it would be unsafe to now hear the cases.

The legal challenge was taken by a Romanian man Mihai Avadanei over his 2014 prosecution for drink-driving in Dublin, on the basis that the print-out from the intoxilyser machine should be in both English and Irish, as written in the Road Traffic Act, 2010.