Athy driver emails court to avoid fine deadline
Photo for illustrative purposes only
A man who failed to pay a speeding fine and missed the deadline to nominate another driver was given 90 days to pay €160 at Carlow District Court. James Menton of 55 Glebelands, Athy, Co Kildare was issued with a fixed-charge penalty notice for travelling at 113kph in a 100kph zone on the N80 near Craan, Kildavin on 24 October 2024.
The original fine of €150, which was due to be paid by 9 July, was changed to €160 to be deposited in the court poor box. Mr Menton had not made any payment to date.
The defendant was not present in court but sent an email to Judge Geraldine Carthy requesting two weeks to pay the fine. In his correspondence, Mr Menton explained that he could not attend court as he was working and unable to get time off.
Judge Carthy noted that Mr Menton had not paid the fine and had also argued that his partner was driving at the time of the offence, not him. “He ran out of time in relation to nominations and now he’s after running out of time again,” Judge Carthy said.
The judge imposed a fine of €160, with 90 days to pay.
