Six-year ban for drug driver

A MONAGHAN man, caught driving with drugs in his system, and with no insurance nor licence, barely three months after being put off the road for the exact same offences, has been banned from driving for six years and left with suspended prison sentences coming to 15 months.

Luke Ryan (25) of St Mary’s Park, Clontibret, Co Monaghan, pleaded guilty to charges that he drove with drugs in his system, and while having no insurance nor driving licence on the N2 at Moy Etra, Clontibret, on October 1, 2025.

Ryan also admitted to the recent sitting of Monaghan District Court that he was driving without insurance or a licence when stopped just over a month later, on November 10 last, at Raconnell, Monaghan.

Sergeant Damien Galligan said a Volkswagen car was observed by gardaí while crossing over the central white line of the N2 at 2:10am on October 1. They activated their lights and stopped the vehicle, after which they noticed a strong smell of cannabis.

A blood sample taken after Ryan’s arrest came back positive for both cannabis and cocaine, the sergeant stated.

Sgt Galligan said the defendant had nine previous convictions, the most recent handed down at Monaghan District Court on July 14 last for driving with cannabis in his system and without insurance or a valid licence. He had been put off the road for a year at that hearing.

Judge Raymond Finnegan noted that this was just a few months before the offence now before the court. He put to Sara Brennan BL, defending, that this was “not good”.

Ms Brennan agreed and said her client understood that he had been “incredibly foolish” in continuing to drive after being disqualified. He also knew that this meant he was “in a very precarious position” regarding sentencing.

Describing her client as a single man with a “really positive employment history”, she said he just started working as a general operative with a firm in Ballybay after spending 10 months with another company in the town. Prior to that he had been a pizza chef in Galway.

Counsel said it was fully accepted by Ryan that he had drugs issues. It was because of this that he’d gone to Galway to try to get out of the company he had been keeping. But he suffered a relapse and returned to Monaghan. Continuing to drive while disqualified was clearly an issue, and her client could offer no explanation other than to accept that he shouldn’t have been doing it.

Stating that he was going to give Ryan “a very long length of rope”, Judge Finnegan told the lawyer her client “could do what he chooses” with that. This meant that three consecutive five-month prison terms were being imposed respectively for the drink driving at Moy Etra on October 1, for having no insurance at that location, and for having no insurance at Raconnell on November 10, all of which were suspended for two years.

Incremental disqualifications of two, four and six years were imposed in that order on the same three counts, meaning the defendant is now barred from driving for six years.

Judge Finnegan told the defendant that this meant he would be going to prison for 15 months if brought before the court again for any offence over the next two years.

“So if you’re caught behind the wheel again, you will be going to prison my friend,” the judge warned in conclusion.