Woman handed two-year driving ban

A 30-year-old West Cork woman has been convicted of dangerous driving and disqualified for two years after admitting to overtaking a driving school car on “a blind bend” at 100km/h in a 50km zone in Killarney.

Carla Sky of Seskin Park, Bantry, Co Cork, who works for an organic food company, pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving offence under Section 53 of the Road Traffic Act which occurred at Countess Road, on the late afternoon of March 10, 2018.

Prosecuting, Sergeant Kieran O’Connell, outlined to Killarney District Court how gardaí were on traffic patrol in the area of Park Road at around 5.20pm on the date.

The garda patrol car was fitted with an ANPR, automatic number plate recognition system machine. This alerted the garda to the fact that an Audi car’s tax had expired.

The garda patrol flashed their lights at the car. However, the car sped through Hegarty’s Roundabout, on the Park Road leading into the Tesco shopping area, and approached the Railway Bridge on Countess Road.

The car came up behind a driving school car on the road. It was travelling at nearly 100km an hour in the 50km an hour speed zone. It overtook the driving school car at the blind bend with no view of the road, Sgt O’Connell outlined.

The bend in question at Countess was “very blind” with no view of the road ahead as there was a high wall, the sergeant added.

Solicitor for the woman, Brendan Ahern, said what happened was “completely out of character”. Ms Sky’s boyfriend at the time had had a seizure and had become quite aggressive. It was a difficult relationship and she was “not acting entirely of her own volition,” Mr Ahern said. She had no previous dangerous driving convictions, Mr Ahern outlined.

Judge David Waters convicted Ms Sky on the offence and disqualified her from driving for two years. He also imposed a fine of €250.