COURTS: A man who was caught driving a vehicle with no insurance, said it was a mix-up that resulted in him driving a car he wasn’t insured to drive.
Noel Moore, 41, with an address at Abbey Village, Kilmacrennan appeared at Letterkenny District Court.
He was charged with having no insurance on the 24th of October of this year, at Glassan Carrigart after Gardaí pulled his vehicle over.
The court heard how the defendant was on his way to pick his children up from school when he was stopped by Gardaí.
He had borrowed his friends car, as he was considering purchasing the vehicle, but the defendant thought he was insured to drive the car under the insurance policy he had.
However, it emerged that he had signed the log book for the car he was driving, and that the log book was sent away, and he was now the registered driver of the vehicle.
Mr Moore said that he had no knowledge of the fact that he was the registered owner of the vehicle – and said he had signed the log book, but then reversed his decision to buy the car.
However, he was adamant that he thought he was insured the drive the vehicle under the policy he had, and said he never would’ve taken the vehicle if he knew he was uninsured.
Mr Moore told the court, “I had expressed an interest in buying the car, and I borrowed the car, under my policy I thought I was insured.
“I did sign the log book, as I thought about buying the car, but I decided against that, I never had any knowledge that the vehicle had been registered under my name.
“I would’ve never taken the car if I didn’t think I was insured, I need my car to get around, I’m on the waiting list to get a hip replacement, and I can’t get far without the car.”
Judge Paul Kelly said he accepted there was a misunderstanding, but said he didn’t want to see the defendant in court ever again.
He fined him €200 with four months to pay, and said he wouldn’t disqualify this time, but didn’t want to see him in court again.