'Extremely dangerous' – Driver serving road ban found asleep at wheel while almost five times over the limit
When Garda O'Malley approached the vehicle he said he found the driver, Sumod George Sam (45), slumped asleep in the seat, with the engine running and the keys in the ignition. An empty vodka bottle was visible in the passenger seat alongside recently purchased shopping, the court heard.
The witness said the driver produced a learner permit and failed a roadside breath test. He was arrested and brought to a garda station, where the court heard that a subsequent breath analysis returned a reading of 99 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath - nearly five times the legal limit of 20 micrograms for a driver on a learner permit.
The court heard that Sam has a previous drink driving conviction from 2022 and was already serving a three-year disqualification, imposed in May 2024 and due to expire in February 2027.
He was charged under Section 5(4)(b) and 5(5) of the Road Traffic Act 2010, for being in charge of a vehicle in a public place while exceeding the legal breath alcohol limit - namely, while having the intent to drive or attempt to drive the vehicle even though he was not actually driving at the time.
Sam, with an address at Earlscourt, Terenure Road East, Dublin 6, pleaded guilty at the hearing.
His defence counsel, Lauren Flanagan BL, told the court that Sam was deeply remorseful, had not come to garda attention since and had been 'partying with friends' at the time - describing the incident as an act of 'stupidity.'
She said her client, a father-of-two who previously worked in IT but is currently unemployed, was willing to undertake a driver awareness course and she asked the court not to impose a custodial sentence.
Judge Patricia McNamara described the level of alcohol involved as 'extremely dangerous' and said the offence warranted a significant response. She convicted Sam and imposed a five-year driving disqualification, effectively extending the existing ban by three years.
She also imposed a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years on Sam's own bond of €400, with conditions that he not drive or be in control of a vehicle and that he remain of sober habits. Sam had already surrendered his licence to Blanchardstown Garda Station.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
02-08-2025
- Irish Independent
Man allegedly held carving knife to escort's throat and robbed her when she refused to give him a hug, court hears
The court heard that the woman, a makeup artist from England, suffered a deep laceration between her thumb and forefinger and was later told by a doctor she was 'lucky not to lose her thumb and that she had lost a significant amount of blood". The man, who is aged in his 30s, appeared before Tallaght District Court, where he was remanded in custody. He is charged with one count of robbery, contrary to Section 14 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001; one count of production of an article, and additional offences under Sections 9(1) and 9(7) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990. The charges relate to the alleged theft of two iPhones, a black handbag, and €1,340 in cash during the incident. Garda Louise Hayes objected to bail under Section 2 of the Bail Act, citing the serious nature of the offence, the strength of the evidence, and the risk of further offending. She told the court: "The footage shows him violently dragging the injured party from the building while holding a knife". The alleged incident happened at the man's apartment in South Dublin in the early hours of Sunday, July 27. The woman told gardaí she had travelled to Dublin from England to visit friends and had posted an ad on an escorting website to earn extra money. She said she arrived at the man's home around 8pm on Saturday night and stayed several hours. She said they engaged in consensual sexual activity, and that the man was drinking and took cocaine. Garda Hayes told the court that the woman alleges that around 5am, as she was preparing to leave, the man asked her for a hug. When she declined, he allegedly became aggressive, demanded his money (€1,340) back, and is said to have produced a large carving knife, which he held to her throat before allegedly taking two of her mobile phones. She managed to escape by telling him her friends were outside, and called 999 once she reached safety. She was taken by ambulance to Tallaght University Hospital, where doctors treated the deep wound to her hand. Gardaí arrested the accused shortly afterwards. The court heard that a search of the apartment uncovered cash, clothing, a used condom, and one of the woman's missing phones. Blood was still visible at the scene, and investigators took swabs and photographs, the court heard. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more The court was shown CCTV footage from the hallway of the apartment complex. The 35-second clip allegedly shows the man dragging the woman aggressively while holding a knife in his left hand. While viewing the footage, Judge Patricia McNamara remarked: "It's like a carving knife - a large carving knife in his left hand". Barrister Ciara Ní Ghabhann BL, defending, said the man is due to start a new role with the large multinational tech firm where he currently works. She said a refusal of bail could cause her client to lose both his job and his home, which could have knock-on effects for his family. She said there was no possibility of contact with the complainant as she had returned to England. Counsel said her client was willing to comply with strict bail conditions and was 'desperate to return to work'. However, Judge McNamara said: 'He has the presumption of innocence. But he is charged with two very serious offences that can't be ignored. The seriousness of the alleged offence, the strength of the evidence, and the likely sentence if convicted - for these reasons, under Section 2, I am refusing bail.' The man was remanded in custody to appear via video link at Cloverhill District Court at 10am on Thursday, July 31. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.
Sunday World
26-07-2025
- Sunday World
Man pepper sprayed at Longitude after calling garda ‘c**t', urinated in a cell
Paul Davis (38) pleaded guilty at Tallaght District Court to criminal damage at Rathfarnham Garda Station A 'highly intoxicated' man who was pepper sprayed at Longtitude after aggressively calling a garda a c**t before going on to urinate in his cell has told a court that cannabis 'isn't a drug'. Paul Davis (38), of Deanstown Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty at Tallaght District Court to criminal damage at Rathfarnham Garda Station and to threatening and abusive behaviour and intoxication in a public place at Marlay Park on June 29, 2024. The court heard Davis was highly intoxicated at the festival when Gardaí observed him arguing with security staff around 5:55pm. He was slurring his speech and acting in an aggressive and confrontational manner. When approached by Garda Stephen Walsh and asked to calm down, Davis called the garda a 'c**t' repeatedly and continued to be aggressive. He was pepper sprayed and arrested before being brought to Rathfarnham Garda Station. While in custody, he urinated on a cell door. The court heard that Davis has 54 previous convictions, including those for public order and criminal damage. The court had previously heard in May that Davis had been drug-free for 10 months, regularly attended AA and NA meetings, and was engaging with Cuan Mhuire services. However, he later admitted to the Probation Service that he still smokes cannabis daily and was found unsuitable for community service. When asked to explain this in court, Davis said: 'Cannabis isn't a drug - it's a plant.' Judge Patricia McNamara responded: 'Oh, well then you think heroin is just a plant?' Davis replied: 'Well no, heroin is chemicalised.' Judge McNamara said: 'There are plenty of chemicals in cannabis too. There are chemicals in it you'd find under your kitchen sink - it's not some little plant growing from your windowsill. You could be smoking rat poison." Davis was arrested at Longitude in Marlay Park. News in 90 Seconds - July 26th She added: 'That kind of attitude shows a complete naivety about drugs. Those are the kinds of plants that will ruin your life.' Davis paid €105 in court to cover the cost of cleaning the cell. Judge McNamara convicted Davis and imposed a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, while she also fined him €200, with four months to pay. She told him he must remain of sober habits and abstain from all illicit or non-prescribed drugs during the suspended period. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.
Sunday World
24-07-2025
- Sunday World
Alleged head of the IRA in America Gabriel Megahey once killed a man with a single punch
The late-night attack took place outside a chip shop more than 60 years ago on Belfast's Crumlin Road and Megahey was jailed as a result The alleged head of the IRA in America Gabriel Megahey once killed a man with a single punch, the Sunday World can reveal. The late-night attack took place outside a chip shop more than 60 years ago on Belfast's Crumlin Road and Megahey was jailed as a result. On his release, the Ardoyne man emigrated to the United States to work in the New York building industry. But in the States he found himself in jail once again – for trying to buy surface-to-air missiles (SAM) for the IRA from an FBI agent. But it appears he failed to tell the Yanks he had been jailed for killing a man when he was a teenager. And now the Trump administration want the 82-year-old great grandfather out of America. Originally from Ardoyne in Belfast, Megahey disclosed last week that he has been ordered to quit the United States immediately. Megahey's poster The emigration enforcement agency ICE delivered the devastating news to him at his home in Delaware. A letter served on Megahey made no reference to his status in the States – he's married to an American-born woman and together they have six children, 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The ICE letter warned Megahey not to consider 'going on the run' as Homeland Security would find him. As recounted in this week's RTE documentary, Noraid: Irish America and the IRA, in which he featured, Megahey was jailed for seven years for trying to buy the missiles that would have been used to take down British army helicopters. Since his release from an American prison, Megahey had been living in the States under a 'set aside' arrangement implemented by for President Bill Clinton. And now the Trump administration has moved against Megahey, ordering him out of the country immediately. But the Sunday World has learned that when he first entered America after a short stint in Southampton, Megahey failed to declare he had already served a prison sentence in Northern Ireland for killing a man. As this newspaper court report from the time proves, in 1962, 19-year-old Megahey was caught up in a verbal row with another man in Gleneagle chip shop of Belfast's Crumlin Road – ironically about a fight between Belfast champion boxers Freddy Gilroy and John Caldwell. Veteran Belfast republican Gabe Megahey And without warning, Megahey, who was described in court a seaman from Herbert Street, Ardoyne, headbutted 24-year-old Kevin McLaughlin, of Highbury Gardens, causing him to fall to the floor. The row, which happened just after midnight on October 24/25, continued on outside the chip shop, where Megahey punched McLaughlin on the head, knocking him to the ground for a second time and rendering him unconscious. Mr McLaughlin died in hospital two days later. In America, Megahey set himself up as the leader of the IRA in America. He told the RTE programme this week: 'We didn't need Irish Northern Aid money. There were people here – contractors – if I needed money I'd go to them to get it. 'And on quite a few occasions there was finance from Belfast.' Newspaper story from the time Keen to spring a military propaganda spectacular, the IRA was desperate to bring down a low-flying helicopter in south Armagh. Megahey was ordered to buy SAM missiles from American arms dealers. But he was caught after he tried to buy the missiles from an undercover FBI agent. This week's RTE programme also interviewed an FBI agent who said Magahey was a 'French Connection type of individual'. 'He was so surveillance-conscious and professional in the way he handled himself. 'Times when we surveilled him, he would walk backward, go in an out of subway cars.' This week we consulted a legal source in Belfast inquiring if Megahey had any chance of overturning the US authorities' plans to forced him from the country. He told us: 'Megahey has his work cut out on this one. If Trump wants him out, he's out. And it looks as though it's going to be sooner rather than later.' Trump moves to deport veteran Belfast republican Gabe Megahey News in 90 Seconds - July 23rd
