The sentencing judge in the case had to ask the prosecuting inspector to repeat the number of previous convictions as he was unsure if he had heard correctly.

“Can I ask you again – 72 previous convictions for no insurance?”Judge Olann Kelleher asked at Cork District Court.

Insp Eileen Foster confirmed this was the case for Anthony O’Sullivan of 17 Araglen Court, Togher, Cork.

Insp Foster said the 28-year-old had a list of previous convictions for various offences which ran to the grand total of 421.

Defence solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher applied to have the sentencing postponed to allow the accused continue with favourable work he was doing with the probation service in advance of sentencing for another crime before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for another crime.

Judge Olann Kelleher said he could not postpone sentencing in the case.

O’Sullivan got into the witness box and said: “I am off everything. I am attending counselling.”

Mr Kelleher, solicitor, said: “There is obviously going to be a penalty, I am just asking you to postpone the inevitable.”

Judge Kelleher said he had to deal with what was before him and sentence O’Sullivan for driving without insurance where he had 72 previous convictions for the same offence.

The judge jailed him for five months and banned him from driving for 15 years for driving without insurance. That sentence also covered a charge of driving while under the influence of cannabis at the time.

Inspector Eileen Foster said the accused was caught driving a Suburu Impreza at Glasheen Road, Cork, on February 19, 2014, at a time when it was weaving from one side of the road to the other.

O’Sullivan was later released on cash bail of €300 pending an appeal of the five-month sentence.