Waterford District Court recently heard that a man charged with holding his phone while driving was watching a Manchester United soccer match as Gardaí spoke to him.
Sawaari Farah Ali (35) of Apartment 1, Ostmann Place, Ballytruckle Road, Waterford, made no appearance in court last month to face a charge of holding a mobile phone while driving. This related to an incident where he was stopped while driving by Gardaí in May last year.
The court heard that on 21 May 2025, Gardaí were on patrol at Newtown Road, Waterford City, when they stopped a man, who was identified as the accused, while driving.
He was allegedly observed holding a phone in his right hand, and when Gardaí spoke to him, they discovered that he was watching a Man United soccer match. It was stated that the accused allegedly kept watching the match as Garda members were engaging with him.
A fixed charge penalty notice that was sent to the accused subsequently went unpaid.
Judge Catherine Ryan decided to adjourn the matter to 9 April 2026, and said she wasn’t sure if the “bigger crime” was holding a phone while driving, or watching the Man United match.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
