Pursuing garda lost sight of car travelling at 170kph through Mayo town

THE driver of a garda patrol, who noticed two men acting suspiciously when the vehicle they were in drove onto the forecourt of filling station on the N17, ended up in a car chase during which the pursued vehicle reached speeds of between 160 and 170 kph in a 100kph speed zone.

Garda John Hughes, who was driving the garda patrol car, lost sight of the vehicle he was in pursuit of as it drove through Ballindine.

“I was unable to keep up with the vehicle,” Garda Hughes told Judge Sandra Murphy at Castlebar District Court where the driver of the vehicle, Patrick Farrell, Garrisker, Broadford, Kildare, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving.

Garda Hughes told the court he was driving the patrol car on the N17 at 3.20 a.m. on April 17, 2024, when he noticed a white car pull into Top Oil Filling Station at Lisduff, Claremorris.

The car came to a stop and Garda Hughes decided to pull up to investigate the situation as he felt the occupants of the vehicle, of which there were two, were acting suspiciously as the filling station was closed at that hour of the morning.

As Garda Hughes pulled up a white BMW stopped in front of him and then took off a speed.

Garda Hughes said the car headed in the direction of Ballindine and had reached speeds of between 160 and 170 kph.

He tried to keep up with the vehicle but was unable to do so and decided in the interest of safety not to continue the chase as he saw the car vanish as it went through Ballindine, the court was told.

Subsequent investigations led to the arrest and charging of the defendant under two counts of dangerous driving but following a guilty plea the State withdrew one of the charges.

Ms. Cathy McDarby, solicitor for the defendant, said her client was a single man aged 34.

“The result of what was a foolhardy act will have serious implications for my client who needs his licence to drive for his work,” said Ms. McDarby.

She said her client had a lot of difficulties in the past and was getting his life back together when this incident occurred.

She added: “All I can say is that he panicked when he saw the garda patrol car and he was really contrite for what he did and now realises the consequences that he faces as he will be off the road.”

Ms. McDarby said the only other thing in mitigation was the fact that it was so early in the morning, and although her client’s driving couldn’t be excused, there was less risk of traffic being on the road after 3 a.m.

Judge Murphy, who had been handed a list of previous convictions, raised concern over the defendant’s record and while she did accept there had been a gap between 2011 and 2016 when they defendant had been out of trouble, other matters of a more recent period were a matter of concern.

Without specifying what the particular issue was, Judge Murphy said that is something the defendant should be addressing as soon as possible.

The judge said the fact that Garda Hughes was not only unable to keep up with the defendant, but had lost sight of the car, was a very worrying and concerning issue in the case, also noting it was a residential area where the manner of his driving was even more serious.

Judge Murphy imposed a two-year driving ban and a fine of €350.

* Published under the Courts Reporting Scheme.