Twenty-eight motorists have been hit with fines totalling €266,000 after failing to turn up to court to face charges for repeatedly dodging M50 tolls.

One of the prosecutions due to be heard on Monday at Dublin District Court, against murdered Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods, was withdrawn.

Last week it was confirmed that remains found in Priorswood, Coolock and in a burned out vehicle at Trinity Terrace, Dublin 3, were those of the 17-year-old boy.

He had faced five sample counts alleging that as the registered owner of 2011-reg car, he had not paid tolls for journeys on the motorway on five days last June.

Summonses had been sent to his address in Drogheda.

Judge Anthony Halpin agreed to strike out the case after noting from prosecution counsel that the named defendant had died.

Allegations

Meanwhile, another defendant, Des Long, of Rathsallagh Park, Shankill, Dublin, who is facing an ongoing case featuring allegations of 1,139 unpaid trips in his van, had his case adjourned until May.

He has been warned he could face fines of up to totalling €25,000 after the court heard he was sent 4,417 reminder letters over the motorway charges.

Like all defendants in the list, he was prosecuted on five sample counts.

Mr Long has insisted he had been trying to deal with eFlow which operates barrier free tolling on the M50 for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Some 51 motorists had been summonsed to appear in court on Monday.

Prosecutions against 28 of them went ahead in their absence resulting in large fines. They had records of between 115 and 392 unpaid trips, Judge Halpin was told.

Each one generated three warning letters and thousands of them were sent to the motorists but the vast majority did not reply, the court heard.

The private car owner with the highest amount of unpaid charges had been sent 1,176 warning letters, and was fined €15,000.