A driver who crashed a car-sharing vehicle into a ditch after gardaí attempted to stop it has been spared a second driving disqualification, after a judge accepted the defendant did not realise an unmarked car was following him.
Ahmed Ramic (26), of Brookview Court, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving without a licence arising out of the incident on Killakee Road, Rathfarnham, on 22 January, 2025.
Tallaght District Court heard that Garda Mark Cullen was on patrol in an unmarked car shortly after midnight and attempted to stop the DriveYou vehicle, because he said “a lot” of cars from the service had been reported stolen at the time.
Garda Cullen said officers followed the vehicle for about a minute at speed before it left the road and crashed into a ditch.
Mr Ramic had originally pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving under section 53, but the court accepted a plea to the lesser section 52 careless driving charge after hearing the evidence.
Defence counsel told Judge Áine Shannon that “it wasn’t a traditional attempt to escape An Garda Síochána”, explaining that the official vehicle had no blue lights or sirens activated, and her client had no way of knowing gardaí were trying to stop him.
Counsel said the car actually belonged to the father of Mr Ramic’s then-girlfriend.
She said Mr Ramic, who works in car detailing, had lost work having been previously disqualified and would be “back to square one” if he received another ban. The defendant was “very remorseful” and “deeply disappointed in himself”, the court heard.
Judge Shannon said the driving reached the threshold for careless but not for dangerous driving.
She agreed to leave Mr Ramic without a second disqualification and remanded him continuing bail to engage with a restorative-justice driving-awareness programme, with the case adjourned to 13 February next.