Fines totalling €428,000 have been handed down to serial M50 toll evaders – including one driver with more than 1,200 unpaid trips – after they failed to appear in court.
Twenty-two car, van and truck drivers were hit with penalties ranging from €15,000 to €25,000 in their absence at Dublin District Court on Monday.
Judge Anthony Halpin heard that car driver Denis Strescu, of Llewellyn Way, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, had a record of 1,220 unpaid tolls and received maximum penalties totalling €25,000.
Three commercial vehicle owners were also fined €25,000 each, the highest of that category going to truck driver Bernard McDonagh, of Cooleven Way, Dublin 22. The evidence given in court stated he did not pay for any of the 814 recorded trips he took on the motorway.
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However, the fine dropped significantly to €150 for the only motorist who attended to plead guilty; he must also pay the same reduced amount toward prosecution costs. Judge Halpin noted his remorse. He had paid for 18 of 263 journeys and admitted it was a stupid mistake, but he intended to resolve the remaining money owed to the motorway operator.
[ Drivers to face higher tolls on M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel from JanuaryOpens in new window ]
A woman arrived but fled the proceedings while waiting for her case to be called. Judge Anthony Halpin speculated she may have heard the litany of hefty fines for the no-show defendants without realising that the court differentiated between them and those who appeared in court. He adjourned her case.
A woman who made no payments toward her 1,084 tolls and did not appear in court was fined €25,000.
The list featured three van drivers and a lorry owner. The no-show defendants were also ordered to pay €350 costs within three months.
In an earlier list of similar prosecutions, Judge Halpin had commented that 90 per cent of toll-evading motorists do not engage with court proceedings, leaving others to pay for road maintenance.
He explained this was the reason for the severe fines frequently imposed on defendants who do not engage.
Prosecuting counsel Thomas Rice (instructed by Pierse Fitzgibbon Solicitors) said each defendant faced five sample counts for journeys from mainly January to May last year, and their cases could proceed in their absence.
The prosecution witness confirmed each vehicle’s ownership records, the number of passages and payment history.
There was also evidence showing they were the registered owners at the time.
The court also saw images of all the vehicles passing the toll gantry.
The court can impose fines of up to €5,000 per charge and a six-month sentence.
However, the motorway operator’s practice is to prosecute habitual non-payers.
The standard toll for a private car is now €3.80, payable before 8pm the following day – otherwise, a penalty is added.
Surcharges ratchet up after 56 days, followed by warning letters and court proceedings if the toll remains unpaid. Commercial and goods vehicle owners pay more, and registered owners are liable.
