‘Invisible man’ banned for series of driving offences

A Conamara man who officially ‘didn’t exist’, and who did not obtain a driver’s licence because his birth was never registered, was put off the road for several road traffic offences.

Jason Sullivan (20) of Monas Place, Lough Conneera, Kilkieran pleaded guilty at Derrynea District Court to dangerous driving, drunk driving, and driving without insurance or a licence at Rosmuc on March 27, 2021.

Prosecuting Sergeant Pádraig Clancy gave evidence of the dangerous driving offence which included veering over onto the other side of the road, and driving at speed around bends and corners with Gardaí in pursuit.

At one point, he said, Sullivan’s car lifted off the ground and sparks were flying when it connected again with the surface of the road.

He was detected with 42 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; the legal limit for experienced drivers is 50 milligrams alcohol per 100 blood, and it is 20 milligrams alcohol per 100 millilitres for learner and other drivers.

Subsequent to that, Sullivan was caught six times driving without insurance or a licence at various dates between March and June of last year.

Defending solicitor Michael McDarby said his client, a seaweed cutter and wind farm worker, pleaded guilty to all offences.

He explained his client’s birth wasn’t registered, which meant “officially he didn’t exist” and he could not get a driver’s licence because he had no birth cert. That was not an excuse, he said, but he has since been regularised.

Asked by Judge Mary Fahy, why his birth hadn’t been registered, Sullivan said: “I don’t know what happened; there was some mistake when I was born”.

Judge Fahy imposed fines totalling €850 plus a mandatory fee of €250 to the Medical Bureau for the blood test, and two-year disqualifications for each of the first four offences in March.

She imposed one-month prison sentences for each of the six subsequent no insurance offences, suspended for two years; driving without a licence on each occasion was taken into account.

“If you drive while disqualified you’ll go to prison,” she warned.