A young man caught driving under the influence by Gardaí was handed a disqualification recently.
Michael Stynes (20) of Newhouse, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, appeared before Judge Kevin Staunton at a sitting of Waterford District Court this month, where he was charged with driving while exceeding the alcohol limit. This related to an incident where he was stopped by Gardaí in May 2025.
The court was told that after 2.00am on 5 May 2025, Gardaí were called to the scene of a single vehicle accident in Dunmore East. After arriving and speaking to the driver, identified as the accused, Gardaí encountered a smell of alcohol in his car. The accused failed a roadside breath test and was subsequently arrested. A later test returned a reading of 154ml of alcohol per 100ml of urine in his system.
It was noted in court that the accused has no previous convictions and was co-operative with Gardaí throughout his arrest.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham highlighted that his client’s reading is within the mandatory disqualification category, and said that “he will suffer greatly from losing his licence.” Mr. Cunningham asked Judge Staunton if the disqualification could be postponed until September.
Judge Staunton said that given the fact the accused was ‘co-operative’, had entered an early guilty plea, and appeared to have “acted honourably” throughout his arrest, he would not impose a fine.
The Judge disqualified the accused from driving for two years, and postponed the disqualification until 1 September 2026.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
