A former member of the Garda Siochana has been banned from driving for life after being convicted of applying for a driving licence while disqualified.
Bartholomew Davoren, of Westport Road, Castlebar, a retired garda, pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court yesterday to applying for the licence while under a two-year term of disqualification after being convicted of a drink-driving offence in December 1999.
Supt Joe Staunton told the court that the matter came to Garda attention by way of a report from the Mayo motor tax office, which received an application for renewal of a full driving licence from Davoren on May 19th 2000.
The motor tax office was aware that Davoren was disqualified from driving at the time.
Davoren was disqualified from driving for two years at Castlebar District Court on December 1st, 1999. He was also convicted of careless driving and the court ordered that his driving licence be endorsed. He appealed the sentence to the Circuit Court, where the order of the District Court was confirmed. Disqualification was to take effect from May 1st, 2000. Gardai subsequently discovered that Davoren had not handed in his licence for endorsement.
Mr Myles Gilvarry, defence solicitor, said that Davoren's driving licence had expired just one day after the disqualification order. He had applied for the new licence for the purpose of handing it in for endorsement.
Mr Gilvarry said that the defendant was a man of unblemished character who had given 30 years of distinguished service to the State.
The application for the new licence had been a "grave error of judgment" on the part of Davoren, his solicitor said.
In evidence, Davoren told Judge Mary Devins that he was aware he was disqualified from driving when he applied for the licence. "I knew the licence had expired and I thought it would be better to renew it than send it in expired. I know now that that was an error."
Judge Devins said that Davoren had taken it into his own hands to appeal the matter by acting as the High Court after his appeal to the Circuit Court had failed. She convicted him of applying for the licence while disqualified, fined him £300 and disqualified him from driving for life.
The judge further imposed a fine of £200 and endorsed the licence on charges relating to the offence, commenting: "There is no driving licence in existence, so it is elementary."