Five months in jail for serial no insurance culprit

A man, who had no insurance on a motorbike stopped by gardaí last year, was given five months imprisonment after the presiding judge in the case heard he had a significant number of previous convictions for road traffic offences.

Daniel Purcell (33) of Drumakeenan, Redhills, Co Cavan, appeared before Judge Raymond Finnegan at a recent sitting of Cavan District Court. He pleaded guilty to having no insurance and no driving licence, failing to produce either, and having no back registration number when stopped by Garda Gary Lee at Eighter, Virginia, on August 1, 2024.

The court was told that Purcell had only recently been released from prison. Sergeant Damien Galligan said he had 53 previous convictions, including 20 for dangerous driving that arose from one incident. He also had six previous for driving without a licence and seven for having no insurance.

On November 7, 2024 he recorded convictions for drink driving, drug driving, dangerous driving and having no insurance, and had received 12 months’ imprisonment as well as driving disqualifications amounting to 10 years.

Defence barrister, Joseph Smith, said his client had two step children. He was facing a long period off the road, and indeed there “might be hovercrafts available” the next time he was allowed to drive. The court was being asked to consider that he had only just been released from the sentence given in November, counsel added.

But Judge Raymond Finnegan said Purcell had been in court enough times to know the consequences of driving without insurance. So for the no insurance offence at Virginia, a five-month prison term was being imposed, together with a 15-year driving disqualification. All the other counts were taken into consideration on that basis.

Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.