Jail for banned driver who drove stolen car on wrong side of road

A banned driver who drove a stolen car at speed and on the wrong side of the road has been put off the road for eight years.

A judge told Cillian Rafferty (22) he was lucky that no one was injured during the incident.

Judge Máire Conneely fined Rafferty €300, disqualified him from driving for eight years and imposed a four-month prison sentence, consecutive to a lengthy sentence which he is already serving.

The defendant, with an address at Easton Row in Leixlip,

Co Kildare, admitted counts of dangerous driving as well as uninsured and unlicensed driving.

Garda Kyle Jackson told Blanchardstown District Court that he was on mobile patrol on Snugborough Road, Dublin 15, shortly before 10pm on January 27, 2022, when he signalled for a black Hyundai to stop.

Gda Jackson said the car failed to stop and drove a speed through a roundabout.

Gardaí signalled for the driver to stop, but he failed to do so, driving at speed and on the wrong side of Snugborough Road, causing other road users to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

Gda Jackson said the car drove on to Ballycoolin Road, on the wrong side of the road, again failing to stop.

The driver drove into Barnlodge estate, before driving into a dead end. Gda Jackson said Rafferty reversed the vehicle, but lost control, causing the car to spin and strike the kerb. Rafferty got out of the vehicle and was arrested by gardaí.

He was later asked to produce his insurance and driving licence, but he was disqualified from driving at the time.

Gda Jackson said the car had been taken in Lucan earlier in the night. There was considerable damage to the front and rear bumpers of the car, but the vehicle had been taken with the keys in the ignition.

The court heard that Rafferty had 19 previous convictions and was serving a lengthy sentence for motor traffic offences. He is not due for release until July 2026, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Valerie Buckley said Rafferty co-operated with gardaí and made admissions to his behaviour.

Ms Buckley said the defendant was a young man who had a troubled past and had experienced a very difficult childhood.

She added that Rafferty accepted his actions were very serious and he was lucky that the consequences had not been greater.

Ms Buckley also said that the defendant was doing well in custody and had completed a number of courses.

‘Other road users had to take evasive action to avoid a collision’