A young Waterford man was recently handed a court fine for driving with no insurance.
Shane Oates (22) of 18 St Killian’s Place, Ferrybank, Waterford, appeared before Judge Kevin Staunton at a sitting of Waterford District Court recently, and pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, contrary to Section 56 (1) & (3) of the Road Traffic Act, relating to an incident where he was stopped by Gardaí on 28 August, 2025.
Sergeant Alan Hayes told the court that on the day in question, Gardaí stopped the accused while he was driving at Grattan Quay, Waterford. After speaking to the accused, Gardaí subsequently discovered that he was driving without valid insurance.
The defendant was represented in court by solicitor Ken Cunningham, who highlighted that his client was present in court with his father, and was pleading guilty. Mr Cunningham said that the accused is a college student who had missed a payment on his policy, which meant that it lapsed without him knowing. He added that after he was stopped, the accused rectified the mistake by getting a valid insurance policy.
The solicitor also highlighted that his client has no previous convictions, and asked Judge Staunton to consider not imposing a disqualification from driving in light of this.
Judge Staunton said that he would not impose a disqualification due to the accused’s cooperation with Gardaí, and instead issued him with a €500 fine.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
