A man living on an island off Donegal told a judge that he drove a car uninsured as he needed to get his groceries.
“It was an emergency,” Oleksandr Karpenko told Judge Eiteáin Cunningham at Letterkenny District Court.
The 32-year-old was stopped on the R251 at Kilmore, at 6.30pm on December 20, 2024 after his Seat Alhambra flashed on the Garda mobility app as an uninsured vehicle.
A lawful demand was made of Karpenko to produce insurance, but he admitted that he had none.
Karpenko represented himself in court and told Judge Cunningham: “It was just an emergency because I don’t usually drive the car”.
Asked about the emergency, Karpenko, who represented himself, added: “I live on an island and I had to buy groceries.
Karpenko resides at Fallagowan, Arranmore Island.
Judge Cunningham told the accused: “You have to buy groceries every week so that is not an emergency. You shouldn’t be driving without insurance.”
Karpenko was convicted and fined €200, but was spared from a disqualification on this occasion.
However, Judge Cunningham warned Karpenko that if he appears in court again for a similar offence that he would be banned from driving for four years.
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