Man who had 8 people on car's roof and bonnet ordered to make charity donation
A young man who had eight people on the roof and bonnet of his car while he was driving in Co Donegal has been ordered to make a €750 donation to charity.
Brian Mordaunt appeared at Letterkenny District Court charged with dangerous driving during the weekend of the Donegal International Rally on June 21, 2024.
Garda Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that a number of videos emerged on Snapchat of the bizarre incident.
Gardai became aware of the incident and stopped Mordaunt in his car at a later stage.
The 19-year-old, who has no previous convictions, made full admissions and was apologetic to Gardai, the court was told.
Pictures of the car with the eight people hanging out of it were handed into court.
Solicitor for the accused, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said his client's family are 'distraught' after the incident.
Mordaunt, who is from Clerihan, Clonmel in Co Tipperary, is an apprentice electrician.
He was in Co Donegal for the Donegal International Rally when the incident occurred at Pearse Road on June 21 last year.
Mr Gallagher said he had viewed the videos and said it was difficult to know if Mordaunt's car was actually moving or not and it certainly was not driving at any speed.
He suggested the case was at the lower end of the dangerous driving levels and that his client does realise that what he did was stupid and that he had had full and frank conversations with his family about the matter.
The solicitor added that the accused man's family are distraught at what has happened and said it was inexcusable.
"It is certainly not a situation where the family are taking this lightly," added Mr Gallagher.
Replying, Sergeant Collins said the evidence was that the car was certainly moving but not at any great speed.
Judge Ciaran Liddy said he would adjourn the case until September 15 to allow Mordaunt to make a donation of €750 to Cara House and pay a fine of €250.
If that is done, he said he will consider reducing the charge to one of careless driving and will also consider not disqualifying the accused.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Hung jury in trial of Dublin firefighter accused of raping US woman in Boston on St Paddy's weekend as new date set
A US judge has declared a mistrial in a case involving Dublin firefighter Terence Crosbie, who is accused of rape. Mr Crosbie is accused of raping a 29-year-old attorney in a Boston hotel room over St Patrick's Day weekend in 2024. Advertisement He was sharing the room with his colleague Liam O'Brien, both of whom had travelled over as part of a group of firefighters to participate in the Boston parade. Mr Crosbie was arrested on March 16, 2024 and was on trial this week for the alleged offence. He has been held at the Nashua Street jail in Boston since his arrest. However, the jury of eight men and four women were unable to reach a verdict after four days and 22 hours of deliberation. Advertisement READ MORE IN NEWS As they returned to the court room today the judge declared the jury as "hung". Judge Sarah Ellis said: 'I declare that this jury is deadlocked and I declare a mistrial.' Both the woman and Mr Crosbie testified over the five-day trail. The 29-year-old attorney alleges she met Liam O'Brien in a bar on March 14 and returned to the hotel room where they had consensual sex. Advertisement Most read in Irish News However, she claims after they fell asleep in separate beds she woke up as a man she did not know was raping her. Liam O'Brien remained asleep and was snoring at this stage. Gardai and RSA measures aimed at driving crash deaths on Irish roads The trial heard CCTV shows Mr Crosbie enter the hotel room and the woman leave 20 minutes later. The woman also alleges the man told her: "I know you want this. [Mr O'Brien] can't even do this for you – what a loser." Advertisement Mr Crosbie denies the charge and said that he had no sexual contact with the woman and that he "didn't touch" her. DNA evidence collected from the woman did show two samples the court heard. However, analysts were unable to determine whether the second sample belonged to Mr Crosbie. He testified in court: "There was nobody in my bed. My bed was empty." Advertisement He also said "loser" was not a common Irish term and he would not have said it. A new trial date has been set for October 14 and bail was increased from $10,000 to $50,000 after the judge deemed the accused to be a flight risk. 1 The firefighter denies the charge
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man arrested after over €100,000 of cannabis plants seized following Louth raid
One man has been arrested after Gardaí seized over €100,000 of cannabis plants following a Louth raid. Late last night Thursday, 19 June, as part of Operation Tara and ongoing investigations into the sale and supply of drugs and related criminal activity, Gardaí attached to the Dundalk Drugs Unit assisted by Dundalk Detective and Crime Units executed a search under warrant at a residence in Dundalk, Louth. During the course of the search, approximately 126 mature cannabis plants, with an estimated street value of €100,800 was seized (analysis pending), along with cannabis with an estimated value of €34,000 which was packaged and ready for onward sale and supply. A man, aged in his late 20s was arrested at the scene in connection with the investigation and is currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at a Garda station in Co. Louth. He has since been charged and appeared before a special sitting of Dundalk District Court this afternoon at 4pm on June 20. The drugs will be sent for analysis to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI). This seizure forms part of Operation Tara; an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, which was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on July 2, 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Three arrested after separate incidents of criminal damage to property
Gardaí have arrested three males as part of investigations into a number of separate incidents of criminal damage. On Friday, June 20, Gardaí attached to the Crime Hub, Kildare North arrested the three individuals following a search operation that took place at a number of residential properties in Kildare. The three arrests relate to a number of separate incidents of criminal damage that was caused to property between 22 April, 2025 to 4 May, 2025. The estimated cost of the damage is believed to be in the region of €400,000. The three males, one adult male aged in his 30s and two juveniles, are currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Garda stations in the Kildare Division. A Garda spokesperson said that investigations are ongoing.
