A man, whose brother spent a week in jail because he has the exact same name, has himself escaped being put behind bars.
Gheorge Bot The Second appeared before Letterkenny District Court charged with a series of road traffic offences.
A previous sitting of the case heard how the accused man’s brother, Gheorge The First, had spent a week in Castlerea Prison after being mistakenly identified as his brother.
The first brother, Gheorge I, had done nothing wrong.
The court heard how it was a custom in their native Romania that a father gave his sons the same name.
Ironically the brothers’ father was also named Gheorge.
Gheorge the Second, aged 43, of The Willows, Lough Na Glack, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan appeared yesterday charged with having no NCT, no insurance, careless driving and having no road tax.
The offences happened at Neil T Blaney Road in Letterkenny in June 1st, 2015.
Barrister for Gheorge the Second, Ms Kathleen Henry firstly apologised to the court over the confusion of the names of the men in the case.
Judge Paul Kelly said Gheorge the Second had a shocking record in his disregard to traffic laws and included three previous convictions for having no insurance.
Judge Kelly asked the accused if he currently drove and how much he was paying for his insurance.
Mr Bot, a married father of five, said he did own a car and was paying €102 per month for car insurance.
Judge Kelly fined Bot €150 after finding him guilty of careless driving and also jailed him for three months but suspended the sentence for 12 months and disqualified him from driving for two years.
Mr Bot’s barrister then claimed that her client was insured at the time and led Judge Kelly to adjourning the case to hear this evidence until November 21st next.
He then withdrew the suspended jail sentence charge until that date but applied all other matters.