AN EAST CLARE man reached speeds of 100kmph on his quad bike in a high speed chase with Gardai across four townlands near the village of Tulla over two years ago.
At Killaloe District Court sitting in Ennis, Judge Alec Gabbett banned Jake James (27) of Uggoon Upper, Tulla in east Clare from driving for two years and told him that “you are very lucky you are not going to Limerick prison”.
Judge Gabbett said that quad bikes are “very dangerous” and said that Mr James – who works in tree surgery and tree care – and his pillion passenger were not wearing helmets on the day.
Garda Darren McLoughlin said that the chase continued for 6.8km and he terminated the chase due to safety considerations for Mr James and his pillion passenger.
Garda McLoughlin said that Mr James’s unregistered green Yamaha reached speeds of 100kmph during the chase through the townlands that included Rine, Drumullan and Milltown.
Judge Gabbett imposed a two year driving ban and imposed a fine of €300 on Mr James for driving with no insurance and it was Mr James’s second conviction for driving with no insurance.
Mr James was charged with dangerous driving and Judge Gabbett instead convicted him of careless driving on June 24th 2020 and fined him €200.
Judge Gabbett also imposed 40 hours community work on Mr James in lieu of two months in prison for failing to stop for Garda McLoughlin on the date.
In evidence, Garda McLoughlin said that during the chase, he activated the blue lights and sirens and Mr James failed to stop.
Garda McLoughlin said that “the driving was quite dangerous but he didn’t exceed speed by more than 20kmph at any time because I was behind the whole time matching pace with the quad bike”.
Garda McLoughlin said that he terminated the chase when Mr James drove his quad bike into a field to go cross country.
Garda McLoughlin said Mr James later told him that he didn’t stop as the lights on the patrol car “had freaked him out”.
Garda McLoughlin said that he first came across Mr James driving his quad bike at a speed of 90kmph on a street in Tulla before he turned off onto a local road.
Mr James has a previous conviction for no insurance and dangerous driving from the same incident in 2014.
Solicitor for Mr James, Stiofan Fitzpatrick said that his client wasn’t in a good head space at the time
He said, “Mr James just wasn’t thinking straight on the day. Obviously, the facts are extremely dramatic – he went through a number of town lands but it is the one offence”.
