Disqualified driver caught after wife tipped off gardaí, court hears
Carlow Courthouse Photo: Michael O'Rourke
GARDAÍ summoned a motorist to court for driving without insurance or a driver’s licence after they were tipped off by his wife that he was driving illegally, following a row between the couple.
Maksym Kliavinsh, Lisbush, Ballaghmoon on the Kildare/Carlow border pleaded guilty to driving to the charges when he appeared before Carlow District Court last week.
The court heard that on 20 May 2025 at 12.16pm in Carlow town, Garda Ryan stopped a vehicle driven by the 47-year-ol defendant.
Mr Kliavinsh was asked to produce a valid driver’s licence but did not have one as he was disqualified from driving at the time. It was also discovered that he did not have valid insurance for the vehicle he was driving.
The vehicle was seized under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act and a summons was later issued.
The defendant has two previous convictions. He was before Carlow Circuit Court in 2024 for driving under the influence of alcohol and was disqualified from driving for three years. His other previous offence was also for driving while intoxicated and dates from 2007.
In mitigation, solicitor Joe Farrell said his client was “quite contrite” and was not in a good “mental condition,” for which he said he had documents as evidence. Mr Farrell said the reason Mr Kliavinsh was stopped by gardaí was because his wife rang them after he left the house and “she tipped off the gardaí” that he was driving while disqualified.
“That’s how he was detected,” added Mr Farrell.
Judge Elizabeth Healy asked if the defendant was generally driving other than the incident in question and Mr Farrell explained that, no, his client had only travelled a couple of kilometres distance from his home on this occasion, that he had an argument with his spouse and “drove to get away from the house.” The defendant, who is currently social welfare dependent, had previously “held down a good job in retail, but the wheels came off subsequently,” said Mr Farrell, explaining that his client was on medication, adding “this is a flavour of where he’s at”.
The judge noted the defendant’s guilty plea in relation to section 56 of the Road Traffic Act (no insurance) but also noted that he was disqualified at the time of the incident. She convicted and fined Mr Kliavinsh €300 with two months to pay and disqualified him from driving for two years. The matter of no valid driving licence was taken into consideration.
