Courts / Cork / Report

Banned driver who endangered garda fails in appeal

Summary

Daniel O'Brien, a 28‑year‑old banned driver, was found guilty of endangering a Garda and a mother with a newborn when he drove disqualified at a checkpoint in Cork City and later sped through a red light. He swerved at speed toward Garda Ryan Dillon, who feared for his life and was clipped by O'Brien's wing mirror. O'Brien then overtook a vehicle at a red light, narrowly missing a mother and her baby in a buggy, forcing them to retreat to the footpath. He had previously been sentenced in December for two counts of reckless endangerment and had 44 prior convictions, including an 18‑month prison term for slashing a man. Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin imposed a four‑year jail term and a 12‑year driving ban. O'Brien appealed to the Court of Appeal, but the appeal was dismissed, with the judges finding no error in the original sentencing.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Banned driver who endangered garda fails in appeal. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• February 6th, 2019 Incident
• 2021-05-17 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Appeal

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Read the original CNI report