Motorist swerved across lanes several times while 'messing with her hair', court hears

A witness told Clonakilty District Court the driver of the black Mercedes saloon almost cut them off as they drove around the roundabout

Inspector Triona O’Mahony told Clonakilty District Court that 61-year-old Angela Murphy of Ballinagee, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, was charged with a single count of careless driving in relation to the incident in July 2025. File picture: Dan Linehan

An architect from County Wicklow repeatedly swerved across lanes and kept “messing with her hair” while driving her Mercedes on a busy road in West Cork prompting a witness to alert gardaí, the district court has heard.

Inspector Triona O’Mahony told Clonakilty District Court that 61-year-old Angela Murphy of Ballinagee, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, was charged with a single count of careless driving in relation to the incident in July 2025. Ms Murphy denied the charge.

Giving evidence Garda Brian Noonan said he received a report from a concerned member of the public regarding an alleged incident of careless driving on the N71 road between Clonakilty and Rosscarbery at 12.30pm on July 9, 2025. He said a witness who was a passenger in a car following a black Mercedes belonging to Murphy had seen a female with brown hair driving the vehicle “running her hands through her hair” and "veering to the opposite side of the road.” 

Gda Noonan said he contacted Murphy about the allegations the following day and in a statement she admitted she was driving her black Mercedes along the N71 at the time. She said she was driving to Rosscarbery from her home in Wicklow to visit relatives and was “shocked by the allegations”, telling Gda Noonan that she “always drives carefully”. 

Witness Stephanie Mclaughlin said she was a passenger in a Volkswagen Golf that followed the Mercedes from Clonakilkty to Rosscarbery. She said she first noticed the black Mercedes saloon at the Spar roundabout in Clonakilty when it almost cut them off as they went around the roundabout.

She said as they passed Ahamilla heading west she noticed the car veering across the central white line as the driver was “messing with her hair with both hands”. Ms Mclaughlin said the car veered across the central line several times in this manner en-route from Clonakilty to Rosscarbery only pulling back to the correct side of the road when there was oncoming traffic, many of whom flashed their lights.

Ms Mclaughlin said that as they approached an overtaking lane near Ownenahincha Cross they attempted to overtake the Mercedes but it pulled out in front of them and then back in preventing them from getting past it and a large truck in front. She said that the Mercedes also braked sharply forcing them to do the same.

Ms Mclaughlin said she felt compelled to report the incident to gardaí when she reached her destination in Rosscarbery as she felt they had come close to a collision several times.

Murphy said that she denied the accusations about messing with her hair, crossing onto the wrong side of the road and braking severely. She said the allegations were “deeply upsetting”. 

She said that at the overtaking lane the silver Golf behind had already pulled out into the “hatched area” before the overtaking lane began and she pulled in to avoid it. She said that two or three cars had already overtaken the truck in front using the overtaking lane and she was about to follow them.

Ms Murphy said nobody flashed lights at her or beeped at her and she had no idea about the alleged incident until Gda Noonan called her the following day. Insp. O’Mahony put it to Murphy that Ms Mclaughlin had travelled a long distance to give evidence, had “no skin in the game” and would not be making up such allegations for no reason.

Conrad Murphy, defending, said the driver of Mclaughlin’s car did not report the incident, did not blow the horn at Murphy and they did not speak to her in Rosscarbery where both cars parked.

Judge Andrew Cody said he found Mclaughlin to be a credible witness and accepted her account as plausible and truthful. He said he did not accept Murphy’s evidence about the “hatched area” before the overtaking lane. 

He said that if, as she claimed, she had waited for two or three cars to overtake the truck ahead of her they would have been several hundred metres past the hatched area already when the Golf attempted to overtake her.

He convicted Murphy of careless driving and fined her €500 allowing three months to pay the fine. Recognisance for appeal was fixed at €500 with €250 cash required.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.