Man said mother in Belgium was driving speeding car

ANNE LUCEY in Kenmare

A MAN who pretended his mother-who lives in Belgium was driving the family car in Kenmare so that his wife might avoid another set of penalty points was before Kenmare District Court yesterday, charged with giving false information under the Road Traffic Acts.

Bruno Schmidt, of The Peaks, Cappanacush East, Kenmare pleaded guilty to the charge of giving false information contrary to Section 103 of the Road Traffic Acts.

Representing himself, Schmidt, who runs a limousine business told the court he panicked when the speeding notice arrived.

The family car was detected by cameras as travelling at 73 kilometres in an 60 km zone at Killowen, Kenmare, on June 25th 2012.

When the fixed charge notice for speeding arrived, Mr Schimdt, the registered owner, said he and his wife Sandra who had been driving on the occasion panicked about the prospect of receiving penalty points as she had already been detected for a penalty point related motoring offence just days previously.

He wrote to the administration office saying it was his Belgian-based mother who was driving and giving her address.

However when his mother, Maria Hallert, received the notice in Belgium, she in turn wrote back to the adminstrators saying she was not driving the car at the time and was not even in Ireland at the time.

Gardai in Kenmare were alerted and conducted an investigation. When gardai spoke to him, Nr Schmidt who has a clean record, admitted what he had done.

Judge James O’Connor told Mr Schmidt he accepted it was a panic situation and said he could understand it. However the judge said said the “nasty” aspect was saying it was his mother who was driving :

Yesterday Schmidt, who said he drives limousines for corporate clients, was told he may be given the benefit of the probation act and will avoid conviction after he offered to pay €750 into the court poor box by September 6th..

“You will get one chance only to pay the contribution,” the judge warned.

The judge also told him that it was “amadánach” to involve his mother “and pretend it was her”.

“I’ll give her flowers for her next birthday,” Mr Schmidt told the judge.

His wife Sandra Schmidt, who was the driver of the car on the date in question, pleaded guilty at Kenmare District Court on March 1st to the speeding offence and avoided conviction after volunteering to pay €200 into the court poor box.