Kerry man blames mysterious bearded test driver for speeding ticket
The KerrymanAn Abbeydorney man who came before Tralee District Court last week on a charge of speeding said he was not driver of the car and put the blame on a driver who had come to test drive his car.
Craig Freeman of 39 Riverside Close, Abbeydorney told the court he was selling his car because of epilepsy and posted an advertisement on Facebook.
“It wasn’t me driving the car,” Mr Freeman told the court.
An interested buyer came to test drive the car, which was recorded driving 59 kph in a 50 kph zone in West Causeway on October 31, 2024.
“He sent me on a picture of the licence,” Mr Freeman told the court.
However, Mr Freeman said he no longer had the photograph because it was lost on his old phone.
“I don’t know the name of the man if I’m honest,” he added.
He described the driver as about five-foot-ten with dark brown hair and ‘a stubbly beard’.
“He didn’t sound like he was from Kerry,” Mr Freeman added.
Mr Freeman said that a couple of weeks after the test drive, in January 2025, gardaí appeared at his door and informed him the licence provided by the test driver may have been fake.
Judge Mark O’Connell upheld the speeding fine.
“I’m not convinced of the evidence,” said the judge. “You need more detail. You don’t even know his name.”
He fined Mr Freeman €160 to be paid within two months.