A DRINK-driving teenager has apologised to a judge for leading Gardaí on a chase through the Donegal countryside and told him: “I haven’t touched a drink since.”
Ryan Ivers, who is 19 and from Dunaff, Clonmany, admitted he was drunk when he got into his car on December 21 last year.
Inspector David Murphy told Judge Paul Kelly that Gardai had to stop a pursuit of Ivers because he was driving so fast and so dangerously.
“He was driving on the wrong side of the road and Gardai decided to end the pursuit fearing a serious road traffic collision,” he said.
After a mile, Ivers crashed his car at Tir na League and Gardaí arrested him. He later had a recording of 66 for alcohol, more than twice the legal limit.
Mr Ivers, from Dunaff, Clonmany, represented himself in court.
He told Judge Paul Kelly: “I haven’t drunk alcohol since.”
He was also charged with having no insurance and no driving licence.
“You could have killed somebody including yourself,” Judge Kelly told him.
“What where you doing driving like this?” asked the judge.
Ivers replied: “I just panicked.”
Judge Kelly told the teenager: “You’re lucky to be alive. You have very little insight into the consequences of driving like this. You are facing three serious charges, drink driving, driving dangerously and having no insurance. All three carry prison sentences.”
Ivers said he was “very very sorry” for his actions.
Judge Kelly adjourned sentence until January and ordered Ivers to attend the pro-social drivers course, where he will meet relatives of people killed in road traffic collisions.