Man with 99-year driving ban in high-speed chase

A man who already had a 99-year driving ban stole a car from an address in Straide and led gardaí on a high-speed chase before being arrested, a court has heard. Martin Maughan of Cordarragh Drive, Kiltimagh, was before Judge Rory McCabe at last week’s sitting of Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
Sergeant Greg Fleming told the court that on January 22, 2017, he received a report about the incident and soon afterwards garda colleagues on patrol spotted a blue 1996 Toyota Carina travelling at speed on the N5 from Charlestown. While in pursuit all the way to Kiltimagh the driver made dangerous manoeuvres, attempted to reverse into the garda car on an occasion and when a second patrol car came on the scene, the driver drove at it too.
After being stopped and attempting to flee, Mr Maughan was arrested and conveyed to Claremorris Garda  Station.
Prosecuting counsel, Pat Reynolds told the court that Maughan had 94 previous convictions, 53 of which were road traffic related. He was on bail when the incident happened, Mr Reynolds said.
His defence counsel, Ms Aoife O’Leary said her client had long-standing difficulties with substance abuse and had a very difficult background but was now addressing some issues and trying to rectify his lack of education while in custody. He was a married man with four children and one child had significant health difficulties, she said.
Judge Rory McCabe said Maughan, through his dangerous driving, was involved in a serious car chase, had to be removed from the car and restrained  and had ‘a cocktail’ of previous offences.
He imposed a two and a half year jail term, to run consecutively to the one he was presently serving, and ‘more in hope than anticipation’ suspended the last 12 months of the sentence.