Comrade gets 2yr ban for hitting teenager on bike

[watty]

Seems a bit harsh.  His (privately-hired) brief tried to argue it down to careless driving but the judge wasn't having it.  So dangerous driving and a 2yr ban.  First time in trouble 'n all.

Taxi driver knocked down teenage cyclist while filming group throwing eggs at his car

A taxi driver who knocked a 14-year-old cyclist to the ground with his car was trying to record video footage as the teenager was part of a group who pelted his car with eggs, a court heard.

Miklos Verdes (55) had planned to make a complaint to gardaí and give them the phone footage of the boy and his friends to use as evidence.

However, the boy was struck by the right-side of the car bonnet and knocked to the ground.

CCTV footage showed Verdes was holding his mobile phone and recording the teen at the time of the collision.

Judge Áine Clancy fined Verdes €200 and disqualified him from driving for two years.

The defendant, of Ivy Place, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, admitted dangerous driving at Castleknock Road, Castleknock, on May 4, 2025.

An application to reduce the charge to careless driving, which does not carry a mandatory driving ban, was refused by the judge.

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Happened to a (middle-class?) teenager in Castleknock.  I wonder would the same verdict apply if it happened in Ballyfermot or Ballymun?

Did his in-car CCTV condemn him?  Did he volunteer it to the Guards to prove his point & it backfired on him?  Stay away from cameras and microphones as F D S used to say!

[John m]

Watty I do not know how many times I said on here CCTV works both ways .It can convict anybody .I was bringing some Clients to their Aunts House to collect a message for their Uncle And One asked Me if I had CCTV ? I replied No I work the 8,10,12s and the majority of my clients would not appreciate if I was recording them or anybody visiting their aunties house .Are you not afraid of Getting Mugged he asked ? Why would i be afraid ?

  There is another issue .You have CCTV in your car you hand it over .The Gards would have to produce you in court to verify that the data came from your device .Im sure .My job is to drive a taxi not Police the Country .I wont be doing Police Work and hopefully they wont be giving free lifts .If I saw anything and wished to be a witness I would come forward but I do not want to be compelled to verify something that I did Not see Personally but was recorded on a Covert device .I was totally against it when they looked at compulsory CCTV monitoring in taxis .

Your point about Rich kids throwing food at cars is well observed .

[Rat Catcher]

You say that but, in practice, Gardai giving folk a lift home isn't unheard of. I got a lift home from the bar a few times from a regular who worked as a Detective Garda up above in Dublin and had a company car... no danger of getting stopped for drink driving for members in those days! The younger no so young lad arrived home from a party in a squad car way back when he was underage. They had been dropped off by a bus at the Church car park. As one of their group was extremely full they attracted the attention of the local Gardai who opted to call a parent or taxi (I can't remember which) for the lad that was deemed too full to travel in the squad car and dropped the younger not so young lad home after dropping a young girl home. I recall the younger not so young lad recounting that the Garda driving explained that they dropped the young girl first because he considered that it would be inappropriate for her to be in the car with two male officers which led to the younger not so young lad jokingly suggesting that they could be a pair of poofs in this day and age!

A colleague/competitor told me he brought a punter to the barracks a good few years ago 'cos he was short a few punts for the fare. The Garda on duty told him the few punts he did have should be enough and offered to drop the man home himself to resolve the dispute.

[John m]

I never got a Lift in that direction off the Garda ?