Dublin motorist wins compensation after car damaged by clampers during towing
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
Dublin clampers have been ordered to compensate a motorist for repairs after his car was damaged during towing last year.
Oscar Adonis Marchat of Elton Park, Sandycove, Dublin, won a small claims case against Dublin Street Parking Services Ltd. He told Judge Peter White at Dublin District Court that he had to bring the civil action due to his car getting towed away in the city on July 16 last year. He testified that he had no issue with that and paid the fine, and the vehicle was unclamped. However, he told Judge White it showed a "failure signal" and would not start.
The judge queried whether an anti-theft device was triggered to immobilise the car. Mr Marchat said that was not the issue, and his garage found that the steering column was damaged, "and that forced the car to shut down". Judge White heard Marchat was left with a €553 repair bill, which he referred to the clampers, asking them to pay.
He alleged they responded by saying they needed a private investigator and had to appoint someone to interview him and contact his garage to look into his complaint. But by late summer they had not got in touch about seeing the car.
"I tried to follow up multiple times," the motorist said. Finally, he said, the investigator had told him he had come off the case and to deal directly with the parking company again.
Mr Marchat got his car fixed at his own expense and provided documentation from his garage, a quote and an explanation for the damage. With no defence entered by Dublin Street Parking Services Ltd and noting the evidence furnished, Judge White accepted that the steering column was damaged during towing and granted Mr Marchat a decree for the full repair amount.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford man with intellectual disability guilty of attempted sexual exploitation of children
Wexford People A 38-year-old man from Wexford Town described as having an intellectual disability was prosecuted in the Circuit Court for attempted sexual exploitation of children. Wayne McMahon from 30 Wolfe Tone Villas, Wexford, used WhatsApp to send inappropriate messages. However, all was not as it seemed when he began communicating with a purported female in 2021.
Dublin Live
14 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Man brandishing knife at Dublin petrol station threatens staff and steals cash
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A man brandishing a knife threatened staff and stole cash from a south Dublin petrol station earlier this week. The robbery happened in Ballybrack Village at approximately 5:30pm on Monday, June 2. Gardaí confirmed a male entered the filling station with his face covered and brandishing a knife. He threatened staff and took a sum of cash before fleeing the scene. Gardaí have arrested a man in connection with the incident. A garda spokesperson said: "In the course of an operation earlier today, Friday, 6th June 2025, Gardaí from the Shankill Detective Unit arrested a male in the Shankill area of Dublin in connection with the investigation. "He was subsequently detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and remains in custody at this time at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region. Investigations are ongoing." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
The Journal
19 hours ago
- The Journal
Rogue gardener pleads guilty to conning woman out of €2,000 for work he never carried out
A ROGUE GARDENER in Dublin conned a woman online out of €2,000 for work he never carried out, a court has heard. Father of two, Gavin Smith, 35, of Huntstown Wood, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to deception today. Dublin District Court heard that Smith, a convicted money launderer, was contacted by the unsuspecting victim through the website on 3 September 2021. She asked him to work on her back garden, was quoted a fee and paid a €2,000 deposit, but Judge Michele Finan heard Smith 'failed to carry out the work'. After several weeks, he refunded her half the money, but never paid the rest back. Advertisement Smith, with 18 prior criminal convictions, including money laundering, was jailed last year and will remain in custody until next year. He was not charged with the offence until May this year. Defence solicitor Daniel Hanahoe told Judge Finan his client's mother had died shortly beforehand. He also began using cocaine. Hanahoe submitted a letter from his client about his progress since the offence. The judge described it as 'excellent', adding that it should be forwarded to the victim, who did not have to attend the hearing. Judge Finan said the offence was at the more serious end of the scale and noted Smith 'interacted with someone, made a promise and took money'. Noting his guilty plea and efforts at rehabilitation, she imposed a five-month sentence backdated to 2 May, when he was charged, sparing him additional prison time.
