*John Mountaine and his partner, Clare TD, Violet-Anne Wynne (IND). Photograph: John Mangan
THE partner of Clare TD, Violet Anne Wynne (IND) has blamed her upsetting “a lot of people” as the reason he hasn’t been able to get an appointment for a driving test in almost four years.
At Kilrush Circuit Court on Tuesday, John Mountaine (42) of Pella Rd, Kilrush unsuccessfully pleaded with Judge Francis Comerford not to affirm the three month driving ban that was imposed on him in the District Court in June.
After Judge Comerford said that he would be affirming the three month ban imposed on Mr Mountaine for driving unaccompanied on a provisional licence at Lack West, Kilmihil, Co Clare in October 2021, Mr Mountaine’s solicitor, Patrick Moylan told Judge Comerford that Mr Mountaine would like to personally address the court.
Mr Mountaine told Judge Comerford, “The reason why I didn’t apply (for the driving test) until 2020 was because I couldn’t afford it before then to do the test”.
Violet Anne Wynne was elected a TD for Sinn Fein for Clare in the February 2020 General Election and Mr Mountaine said, “My wife got a job and I applied for the test”.
Mr Mountaine told the court, “Unfortunately she is a politician and there is no filter from the brain to the mouth and she has upset a lot of people and I believe this is why this has taken so long”.
He said, “I don’t understand why it has taken so long – that is the only reason I can come to”.
Appealing to Judge Comerford not to impose the driving ban, Mr Mountaine said, “I need me licence to be able to get to work. I am asking, impose any fine on me you would want but please let me keep my licence because it affects me majorly”.
However, after hearing Mr Mountaine’s personal plea, Judge Comerford said that he would affirm the ban and said that he could sit his driving test after the ban expires.
Judge Comerford said that he was affirming the ban as he said Mr Mountaine’s course of events about waiting for a driving test appointment for almost four years was “inherently improbable” without providing any correspondence to back it up.
Judge Comerford noted that Mr Mountaine was first convicted of driving without a provisional licence unaccompanied in 2013 and he still is without a full licence.
State Solicitor, Aisling Casey said that a cursory look at the Government website in question show that Mr Mountaine could be invited to sit a driving test in October.
In reply, Mr Moylan said, “There is no getting around that Mr Mountaine made a driving test application in November 2020 and we are now in July 2024”.
He said, “The Shannon Driving Test centre has not provided him with a date despite what it might be saying on the website”.
Mr Moylan said, “Whatever their website is saying, Mr Mountaine is the reality here judge. Almost four years and he has not got his test”.
Mr Moylan said that the almost four year wait “is extraordinary – it is in his interests and no one wants more to get his test than Mr Mountaine”.
Judge Comerford commented that there would be thousands of Clare people who have sat their driving test in that period.
Earlier Ms Casey told Judge Comerford that Mr Mountaine has a number of road traffic offence previous convictions and four previous convictions under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Mr Moylan said that Mr Mountaine has now withdrawn his application for a driving test at Shannon and has applied for a test at a Dublin test centre.
Mr Moylan said, “He is a 42 year old man who has a partner and six children ranging in age from 14 to 2. His driver’s licence is something that is very important to him”.
Mr Moylan added, “He commenced a carpentry business, Monty’s Carpentry and it has taken off and he is doing very well. He wants nothing more than to get his driver’s licence. If he is disqualified from driving, he can’t do his driving test”.
