'It is fortunate that someone was not killed': Cork man jailed and banned from driving for 15 years

 Patrick Doyle, 26, was jailed following dangerous driving incidents on October 6 last year.

A Dunmanway man was banned from driving for 15 years and sentenced to a year in jail for a dangerous driving escapade where it was only by good fortune that nobody was killed.

The series of dangerous driving incidents commenced at Bandon Road in Cork city and did not end until the driver got to the carpark outside Marymount hospice in Curraheen.

 Judge Olann Kelleher commented at Cork District Court in the case against 26-year-old Patrick Doyle about how fortunate it was that nobody was killed.

Sergeant John Kelleher said the accused was stopped as he was driving at Bandon Road, Cork, on October 6, 2021, but he drove off in a dangerous manner when he was intoxicated.

The accused had eleven previous convictions for dangerous driving arising of seven different incidents and he had 18 convictions for driving without insurance.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said: “He is from Dunmanway. He is doing well in custody. He is attending school and attending the gym. He accepts that he should not have been driving at the time and he apologises for it.” 

The pursuit of Doyle from Bandon Road to Curraheen occurred at around 8.30pm.

Judge Kelleher imposed a total sentence of one year and a 15-year driving disqualification.

“It is fortunate that someone was not killed by this man’s driving,” Judge Kelleher said.

Attack on US tourist

Earlier this year he was given a sentence of two and a half years for attacking and robbing an American national visiting Dunmanway.

Detective Garda Jim Keane said the victim was an American national who is aged around 60. He was robbed of €300 at Castle Street, Dunmanway, in what was described as “an unprovoked and planned offence.” 

Det Garda Keane said the injured party was socialising in the Shamrock Bar in Dunmanway and that during the night he left the bar with another man and went to the local AIB ATM machine before returning to the bar.

The detective said the two parties left the bar a second time and walked up Castle Street where Patrick Doyle assaulted and robbed him.

The charge to which Doyle pleaded guilty was robbing the injured party of €300 at Castle Street, Dunmanway, on February 12, 2020.