Cork driver with 77 previous convictions crashed into young family
Judge Colm Roberts said at Mallow District Court that the record of the accused was 'atrocious'.
A motorist who was driving on the wrong side of the road around a bend and crashed into a young family travelling in the opposite direction has been jailed in the District Court.
Stephen Buckley, 29, of Derrinagree, Mallow, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving, one count of threatening and abusive behaviour, two counts of intoxication in a public place, and one count of possession of illegal drugs.
Inspector Paul Aherne told Mallow District Court the incident happened near Freemount in north Cork on June 26, 2024. The injured party, a man, his wife, their five-year-old son, and young niece were travelling towards Kanturk near Freemount when they came around a bend to find a silver Skoda Octavia car coming towards them on the wrong side of the road.
The injured party tried to avoid the Skoda by pulling into the side of the road but was unable to do so and the car struck them causing significant damage to both vehicles. The injured party got out of his car to check on the well-being of his passengers, and the driver of the Skoda, identified as Stephen Buckley, shouted at him: “What the fuck are you doing?”
In a separate incident on July 12, 2024, gardaí were on patrol at the Cahirmee Horse Fair in Buttevant, Co Cork, when a man identified as Stephen Buckley picked up a box and threw it at the garda patrol vehicle and began shouting abuse. Mr Buckley was described as smelling of alcohol and being “unsteady on his feet". He was arrested and a search revealed he was also in possession of cocaine valued at €40. In a third incident on July 13, 2024, Buckley was arrested on Main Street in Mallow where he was found to be in a “highly intoxicated state.”
The court was told that Buckley was also the subject of a bench warrant for another alleged dangerous driving incident in Kanturk on January 1, 2024. He had 77 previous convictions, including public order offences, criminal damage, assault, drink driving, and dangerous driving.
Defence solicitor Charles O’Connor said Buckley’s behaviour could partly be explained by a family bereavement which had a serious impact on his life.
Judge Colm Roberts said: “His record cannot all be attributable to his loss, his record is atrocious.”
The judge said that Buckley’s record included six convictions for no insurance, two for drink driving, two for dangerous driving, five assaults, two for theft, and four for criminal damage. He said that he had no option but to impose a custodial sentence in those circumstances.
For dangerous driving he was sentenced to five months in prison with two months suspended for two years, and disqualified from driving for two years. For the incident at Cahirmee he was sentenced to two months in prison with one month suspended for two years, for cocaine possession he was sentenced to two months in prison, and the intoxication charge was taken into consideration. He was also placed under Probation Service supervision for one year. For the intoxication incident in Mallow, he was convicted and fined €150 payable forthwith and sentenced to five days in default.
On the dangerous driving bench warrant the court was told Buckley had been the subject of 15 previous bench warrants including three in 2024 and four in 2023. He was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear by video link on November 25.
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