A 22-year-old English man has been struck off the road and fined €300 after he presented a fake driver’s licence when stopped by gardaí in South Kerry.
Daniel Smith, with an address of 11 Infirmary Road, Blackburn, UK appeared before Judge Marie Keane at Tralee District Court recently.
He pleaded guilty to all matters.
Mr Smith was stopped by gardaí on Carhan Road in Cahersiveen, having been spotted driving a UK-registered Volkswagen Scirocco without due care and attention.
Garda Stephen Foley gave evidence that he asked Mr Smith to produce identification, and he produced a passport, and a UK driving licence.
Garda Foley said this licence was missing elements that it should have had, including the hologram feature.
Mr Smith was arrested and interviewed by gardaí, where he made admissions that he paid £1,500 for that licence.
He told gardaí he didn’t sit any test for a licence, and didn’t have insurance or a valid licence.
Representing Mr Smith, solicitor Nuala Liston said her client is 22 years old, had come from England and was unemployed and of humble means.
Ms Liston said he has family in the Killorglin area, and he had come over to Ireland with a view to moving back to Kerry.
She said he was not the owner of the car, had made a full guilty plea to all matters, and had no previous convictions.
The charge of using a false instrument, i.e. the fake licence, carries a potential penalty of ten years in prison.
Judge Marie Keane convicted him on all four charges, and disqualified him from driving for two years.
She fined him €100 for driving without insurance, another €100 for careless driving, and another €100 for using a fake driver’s licence, and she took the final charge, driving without a valid licence, into consideration.
Judge Keane noted that Mr Smith is leaving the jurisdiction with immediate effect.
