A JUDGE laid down a marker for people facing charges of driving without insurance who failed to turn up in court.
Judge Mark O’Connell issued numerous bench warrants to arrest drivers who failed to attend Newcastle West courthouse to answer charges or produce documents to prove they were insured when stopped by Gardaí.
In one case, Judge O’Connell even issued a warrant on an absent accused person who had a solicitor instructed to appear on his behalf.
The judge made one exception in the case of a woman whose solicitor explained she is out of the country and was granted an adjournment, warning she would have to appear in person on the next court date.
Judge O’Connell said “driving without insurance is a very serious matter. I take a very dim view of it and of the fact that people don’t come to court when they are charged with no insurance.”
The Judge’s remarks came after a swathe of people accused of driving without insurance who had failed to produce their documents to Gardaí neglected to appear to answer those charges.
When each case was called and the accused person’s name read out, there was no answer from the body of the court and the judge waited while Gardai called the names outside the door in case the accused person was standing outside.
In each case, there was no response and the judge proceeded with a warrant for them to be arrested and brought before the courts.
