Disqualified driver jailed for three years over dangerous pursuit

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Michael McDonagh was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to endangerment, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and having no insurance. The offences arose from a 2020 incident in which he drove the wrong way along the hard shoulder of the Naas dual carriageway during a pursuit. The sentence was backdated to October 2024, when he entered custody.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard McDonagh had 201 previous convictions, including 126 road traffic offences, and was disqualified from driving. The court also imposed a five-year driving disqualification. Judge Martin Nolan said the driving endangered other road users. The report says gardai ended the pursuit because it was dangerous to continue, and the car was later recovered undamaged.