Drunk driver has until New Year to pay €20k fine

A man from Geevagh, County Sligo, has been given until the end of this year to pay a €20,000 fine following an appeal decision at the Court of Appeal. Muiris Flynn pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, drink driving, and driving without insurance following a collision near Boyle on 24 September 2017. Flynn crashed his car into two cyclists who were training on a road in County Roscommon while he had almost four times the legal alcohol limit in his system. Both cyclists sustained life-changing injuries. The three-judge court found the original 18-month custodial sentence imposed at Roscommon Circuit Court was unduly lenient. However, because Flynn had been released from prison and secured employment, the court declined to increase the jail term. Instead, it imposed the substantial fine, to be paid by 31 December 2020, with arrangements made for payment through Roscommon Town court office.