By Jonathan Magee Hundreds of drink-driving cases that had been stalled at Letterkenny District Court are expected to proceed following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in Dublin on Thursday. The ruling overturned a decision which had previously thrown prosecutions nationwide into doubt. The case centred on Latvian national Andrejs Ratinskis, whose drink-driving conviction was quashed […]
Man convicted for fishtailing in shopping centre car park
A YOUNG Fanad man who performed doughnuts and fishtailed a car in Letterkenny Shopping Centre car park while stores were still open has been convicted of careless driving. Yehor Danilov (20), St Patrick’s Barn, Leatbeag, Ballyheerin, Fanad appeared before Letterkenny District Court on Monday charged with dangerous driving following the incident on the evening of […]
Donegal drink-driving cases stuck in Supreme Court limbo
By Jonathan Magee MORE than 300 drink-driving cases in Donegal are frozen. Gardaí, defendants, solicitors and Judges are waiting on the Supreme Court in Dublin to decide the answer to a question that nobody thought to ask until a defence solicitor in Limerick, Mr Pádraig Langsch, asked it. The question traces back to a blood […]
Jailed man muted in court after tirade of interruptions
A DONEGAL man already serving four years in prison launched a series of outbursts and corruption allegations from his jail dock as he appeared before Letterkenny District Court on separate assault charges. Seamus Cooley (51) appeared by video link from Castlerea Prison, where he is already serving time for an unprovoked attack in 2017, on […]
Handed herself in over warrant after pharmacy theft
A WOMAN who was arrested on a Garda bench warrant has been fined for stealing €240 worth of cosmetics from a Letterkenny pharmacy. Shauna Brady (42), formerly of Abbey Villas, Manorcunningham, but now living in Northern Ireland, appeared before Letterkenny District Court charged with the theft from Magee’s Pharmacy on Main Street, Letterkenny. Detective Garda […]
Red diesel find in Transit van lands man with €2,500 fine
A man with an address in Letterkenny was convicted and fined after customs officials found red diesel in his Northern registered van during a roadside stop in Newtowncunningham. Kai Houston (25), of Cil Gréine, Lismonaghan, Letterkenny had his silver Ford Transit van pulled over at Long Lane, Newtowncunningham on April 19, 2024. Customs officials took […]
Unpaid fixed charge notices proved a costly mistake for Letterkenny parking offenders
A string of motorists who did not pay fixed charge parking notices found themselves significantly out of pocket at Letterkenny District Court on Monday, with fines and costs far exceeding what they would have paid had they settled up from the start. The cases came before Judge Emile Daly for a range of parking offences […]
Donegal’s legal dynasty: Ballybofey woman qualifies as county’s newest solicitor
By Jonathan Magee The legal profession in Donegal has a new face, and her introduction to Letterkenny District Court came with a story of mentorship stretching back decades. Ms Ceejay Byrne, from Ballybofey, was welcomed as the county’s newest practising solicitor at a sitting of Letterkenny District Court this week, joining McElhinney & Associates Solicitors […]
Taxi man who wrongly claimed disability payments given suspended jail sentence
A MANORCUNNINGHAM man who earned more than €153,000 driving taxis while fraudulently claiming disability allowance has received a suspended sentence at Letterkenny District Court. Daniel Williams, 41 Abbey Park, Manorcunningham, was handed a three-month suspended sentence on Monday after the court heard how he continued to draw disability allowance payments for six years while concealing […]
‘I didn’t know the law,’ South African man fined after driving uninsured in Stranorlar
A South African man who told a Donegal court he had no idea car insurance was a legal requirement in Ireland has been fined €350, with a judge reminding him that ignorance of the law is no defence. Djamal Habbas (44), of Garvan Court, Main Street, Ballybofey, appeared before Letterkenny District Court last Monday, charged […]