Two-year driving ban for Westport teen

Two year ban for well-liked Westport teen


A WESTPORT man who was detected driving without insurance less than a month after he crashed a car without insurance was disqualified from driving for two years.
Colm Rigney (19) of Sandyhill, Westport pleaded guilty in Westport District Court to the charges which related to incidents on November 13, 2010 and December 6, 2010. The incident on November 13 occurred when the defendant crashed an Opel Astra into a pillar on the Golf Course Road in Westport and failed to remain at the scene.
Garda Paul Lafferty explained that after visiting the scene, he saw a car parked at Cedar Park with damage to its front and rear. He seized the car and on November 15, Mr Rigney went to Westport Garda Station and admitted losing control of the car going around the corner. He had no licence or insurance.
Under questioning from James Ward, solicitor for the defendant, Garda Lafferty said he was very forthcoming and like him as a person, to which Judge Mary Devins replied that ‘only in Westport would you get this type of mitigation’.
On December 6, Mr Rigney was stopped on the Distillery Road, Westport by Garda Declan Glynn driving a Mitsubishi Colt. He said he had just bought the car and had no insurance. The court heard he bought the car four days after the crash on the Golf Course Road.
Mr Ward said his client was getting his life back on track and was hoping to get a job in Westport. Judge Devins disqualified him from driving for two years and fined him a total of €1,200.