Ryanair chief executive Mr Michael O'Leary was yesterday fined €1,269 and had his licence endorsed for dangerous driving in Co Meath last August.Two other counts of driving without due care and crossing a continuous white line were taken into account by Judge John Brophy.
Counsel for Mr O'Leary, Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, told Judge Brophy that the alleged offences occurred shortly after 7 p.m. on August 16th, as Mr O'Leary was returning home from work.
The court heard from a witness, Ms Caitríona Cunningham, that as she was driving from Batterstown in heavy traffic towards Trim, Co Meath, she was overtaken by a BMW car.
While she felt there was space for the BMW to make the manoeuvre, she noticed that a Mercedes was also trying to overtake and she was forced to brake to allow it to get in front of her. Later, she saw the Mercedes pass a line of cars and cross a continuous white line to do so. It was, she felt, a dangerous move and she observed an oncoming car flashing its lights at the Mercedes. She used her hands-free mobile phone to dial 999 and reported the car and its registration to gardaí at Trim.
Mr Stephen Karcas said he had also been driving in the same line of traffic when he saw the Mercedes overtake a number of cars and a lorry. He, too, called the gardaí at Trim.
Garda Fergal Quinn told the court that he was on patrol in an unmarked Garda car when gardaí from Trim advised him of a speeding Mercedes in the area.
He located Mr O'Leary, who acknowledged that he had been driving the route in question but who said he felt he had done nothing dangerous.
Judge Brophy would not accept that what occurred amounted to less than dangerous driving. "Two concerned citizens had taken it upon themselves to dial 999." It was "quite clearly a straightforward case of dangerous driving".
