Judge Paul Kelly
A JUDGE has praised a Garda for his ‘excellent detection’ work after taking a ‘ringed’ car off the road.
So-called ‘ringed’ cars are vehicles where the identity has been changed because it is made up of parts of other cars. They can be highly dangerous.
Judge Paul Kelly said Garda Paul McGee deserved credit after spotting the vehicle in Letterkenny last March.
On St Patrick’s Day Garda Paul McGee, Traffic Corps, Letterkenny was on patrol at the Orchard Inn monitoring the public order situation.
Whilst standing outside the patrol car he observed at white Vauxhall cavalier driving on Kilmacrennn Rd, his suspicion was drawn to the note of the exhaust and the sound of the engine.
As the cavalier drove past the Orchard Inn Garda McGee noticed an “SRI” badge on the boot lid, Garda McGee followed the car and spoke with the driver Mr. Ciaran Boyce age 20 of Woodquarter, Cranford, Co Donegal outside Milan nightclub, Garda McGee cautioned the driver and took a memo of interview from him, he told Letterkenny District Court today.
Garda McGee asked Boyce was it a two litre 8 valve or two litre 16v valve engine in the car.
The garda said Boyce claimed he didn’t know which but when Garda McGee asked Boyce to open the bonnet, he noticed that it was a 6 cyclinder V6 2.5 engine in the car as he had suspected.
Garda McGee also noticed that the the wheels contained 5 studs which was different to that of a 2.0 cavalier which are a 4 stud wheel.
Garda McGee also noted that the chassis number etched into the glass on the vehicle was different to the chassis number in the normal floor position.
Eventually Boyce admitted to fitting a 2.5 V6 engine to the car. Garda McGee found this peculiar and he seized the vehicle.
Boyce also tampered with the chassis plate in the car to disguise the other one by etching out the old one and putting in his one from an Irish registered car.
Judge Kelly asked was this to evade a higher rate of tax and Garda McGee explained that this would be the case and also a bigger engine.
Garda McGee stated though that a 2.0 16 valve engine would be some what quicker than a 2.5 v6, Boyce was also evading the importation of the vehicle, Garda McGee seeked a destruction order on the vehicle from Judge Kelly and it was granted.
Judge Kelly praised Garda McGee for his “excellent detection” of the vehicle and ordered it to be destroyed.