Bandon second to Dublin for speeding cases struck out in lieu of poor box donations 

A total of 32 people in the district court had a case related to speeding dismissed for donating to the poor box. Picture: file

The number of drivers who had a speeding offence struck out last year for donating to the court poor box was at its highest level since 2017, new figures have revealed.

A total of 32 people in the district court had a case related to speeding dismissed for donating to the poor box, with Bandon’s seven cases second only to the 11 such cases in Dublin.

The poor box is used when a judge may order a defendant to place a donation in the court poor box rather than convict the individual, where they may face a fine depending on the offence.

In 2020, the Courts Service administered €1.4m in poor box payments with the charity that is given the payment being at the discretion of the judge in question.

The figures show that 32 cases involving speeding offences were struck out last year, compared to just five in all of 2020. There were also just 18 such cases in 2019 and 29 in 2018.

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The poor box was used a lot more widely for speeding offences in 2016 and 2017, with 119 and 107 across the country respectively. They were widely used in courts in Dublin and Dungarvan. In the case of the latter, there were 68 cases where a case for speeding was dropped after a poor box donation in 2016 and 2017.

As far back as 2005, the Law Reform Commission was pushing for the abolition of the court poor box as it argued it discriminated against people from different backgrounds.

Those who can afford to pay who are offered the option of donating to the poor box can escape conviction but those who cannot afford are unable to do so.

The fine for being caught speeding is a fixed charge of €80 with three penalty points. If not paid within 28 days, the fine increases to €120. If the fine is still not paid, the case is referred to the courts. Upon conviction, the maximum fine is €1,000.

Under proposals from the Department of Justice, new legislation would abolish the court poor box and replace it with a statutory reparation fund for victims of crime. This was one of the recommendations from the Law Reform Commission on the matter but the legislation has not yet been advanced by the Government.