A 44-year-old Latvian who has been disqualified from driving in this country 11 times led Gardai in a chase across Co Meath and eventually allowed his car to crash into a house causing €20,000 damage, a local court has been told. Andris Paucis, with an address at Ravelgrange, Dunleer appeared at Trim Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to criminal damage on 13 th May last. Following his conviction and sentence he had to be forcibly removed from the court as he struggle against a prison er officer and a Garda.
Detective Garda Paul Cullen told the court that he was on patrol when he saw a car on the Clonmagadden Road Navan which then turned into Tailteann Drive. The Mercedes had a tape over an indicator and he discovered the vehicle had no insurance or tax. He turned on blue lights and siren and the vehicle then turned into Clonmagadden Fort and drove over a footpath and grass verge, failing to stop.
It then drove at Ratholdren and towards Donaghpatrick reaching speed of 100kph. At Phoenixtown the Garda said he saw the car overtake another vehicle on the brow of a hill and at Oldtown Bohermeen defendant drove into the driveway of a house where he and a woman companion jumped out of the car allowing it to roll into the front of a house. The defendant and woman ran into a shed at the rear where defendant was arrested.
Garda Cullen said the house owner was at home with his wife and heard a loud bang. They ran into the hallway thinking it was a shot or that someone was trying to break into their house. There was damage to the chimney, a window and a cavity wall collapsed. Plaster work cracked internally and externally.
The court was told defendant had 45 previous convictions, including seven for no driving licence, 10 for no insurance, three for drugs and one for knife possession. He had been disqualified for 10 years at the time of the Meath offences. Defending barrister James O’Brien said that his client was the father of three children. He had previously worked in construction but was unemployed for the last three years. He described the man as “foolish rather than reckless”. A mitigating factor in the case was the fact that he had entered an early guilty plea.
Judge John Martin sentenced him to two and half years imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for 25 years.
