Muhammad Maqsood of Ballyowen Way, Lucan, charged with uninsured driving

A TAXI driver caught on the road without insurance had been banned at the time for penalty points offences.

Muhammad Maqsood (32) was one month into the six month ban that had been automatically imposed.

A court heard he had ended up without his livelihood because of his own “stupidity”.

Judge Gerard Jones fined him €600 but did not ban him again.

Maqsood, with an address at Ballyowen Way, Lucan, pleaded guilty to uninsured driving.

Blanchardstown District Court heard a garda on duty at Bothar na Life, Clondalkin, at 1.15pm last April 26 stopped the accused when he saw him driving.

Maqsood’s car had a taxi sign displayed and the garda asked him to produce his documents.

He gave an undertaking to produce them later at a garda station and failed to do so.

The accused admitted he had been banned from driving and had received notification some weeks earlier.

There had been an insurance policy in place at the time and he had been paying a premium.

He had no previous convictions to his name.

Maqsood had a licence but was given a six-month disqualification between March and September and he was one month into that at the time he was stopped, his solicitor Wayne Kenny said.

Driving was his livelihood, and now as a result of his own “stupidity” he was unemployed, Mr Kenny said.

The accused was married, came from Pakistan and had been living in Ireland for the past seven years.

He initially came here to study, Mr Kenny said.

Judge Jones fined the accused but decided not to impose any additional disqualification

Herald