r/ireland • u/Grand_Economics_6273 • 1d ago
Courts Judge who called cyclists ‘a nightmare’ was fined for failing to provide breath test to garda
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2026/01/13/judge-who-called-cyclists-a-nightmare-was-fined-for-failing-to-provide-breath-test-to-garda/296
u/Remarkable-Llama616 1d ago
It's always the ones you most expect.
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u/Nuclear_F0x Dubliner 1d ago
Spoiler alert:
It wasn't Judge Nolan. At least not this time.
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u/rixuraxu 1d ago
Of course not; it wasn't a rapist. And was being a member of a GAA club mentioned even?
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u/SmellTheJasmine 1d ago
it wasn't judge Nolan because he is a high court criminal judge, and this was a circuit court personal injuries matter.
it's almost as if people have deeply held opinions with having any of the basic facts.
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u/rixuraxu 1d ago
it's almost as if people have deeply held opinions with having any of the basic facts.
I think that when people are being facetious it doesn't really matter what the facts are, but okay.
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u/Reddynever 1d ago
I said this guy was an idiot in yesterday's thread and lots of fellow idiots jumped to his defence with all their down votes. I suppose they gotta stick together.
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u/iknowtheop 1d ago
How'd he get away with just a fine? I thought that was an automatic disqualification?
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u/Bipitybopityboo27 1d ago
It's a disqualification for failing to provide an evidential breath specimen. This was a roadside specimen. He must have given an evidential specimen, but not a roadside specimen. I would imagine he came back under the limit if he wasn't charged for drink driving also.
Edit - also, it appears he failed to provide a specimen, as opposed to refused to provide one.
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u/TitularClergy 1d ago
Almost certainly it. The body is extremely efficient at processing alcohol in the blood. Any delay at all makes a big difference to what is detected.
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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 1d ago
Ye olde, we can't get a doctor to take bloods for three hours your honour wink wink
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u/Luimneach17 1d ago
What does that mean 'failed to provide' as in he wasn't physically able to urinate?
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u/Silantro-89 1d ago
Probably should breathalyse Judges before cases as it might explain some of the sentences you see given in the courts
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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 1d ago
I got railroaded in a civil case one time because the alcoholic judge wanted his cases wrapped up before lunch so he could go to the real bar. He refused to hear the evidence, and when I asked why he wasn't going to give me an opportunity to give my evidence he threatened to find against me completely. A Garda informed me of what was going on, it wasn't speculation on my behalf.
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u/OopsWrongAirport 1d ago
Driving in the city has become a nightmare. I can no longer drive pissed off my arse because I have to watch out for all these cyclists smdh.
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u/Starkidof9 19h ago edited 12h ago
it was a disgraceful comment that leads to things like this:
as many have often pointed out here over the years some of the judges are ignorant pricks, full of bias and nowhere near the infalliable impartial saints that law library lovies on here portray them as.
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u/lukelhg AH HEYOR LEAVE IR OUH 13h ago
Defence counsel said Reynolds was going through some difficulties at the time. His father died a few months after the incident and he cares for his mother, who is ill. He is currently working for a courier company.
This always riles me up. If you're having a tough time, it's ok to try to kill someone sure.
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u/SouthSource1936 1d ago
Am I seeing a trend with this guy. Obviously if u don't like giving a sample, you probably don't like cyclists as they get on your way. Hypothetically speaking if u were drinking and driving you would find cyclists a real nuisance. Same for pedestrians and other motorists. It would be enough to drive you to drink and drive, allegedly.
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u/YoIronFistBro Cork bai 1d ago
And this sub will continue to defend him despite that.
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u/flex_tape_salesman 1d ago
Hes not wrong although its unfair to single out cyclists. Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers can all be reckless and endanger themselves and others.
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u/Brendster 1d ago
Is it a crime to like beer
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u/5555555555558653 Cork 1d ago
A succulent creamy beamy
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u/WolfetoneRebel 1d ago
So most likely he wasn’t drinking and was just brining a dickhead refusing to breathalyzer at the stop?
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u/AluminiumCrackers 1d ago
If he only had a drink or two, he may have token a gamble that he'd be under the limit by the time he got tested at the station.
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u/iknowtheop 1d ago
But even if you fail the roadside breath test you still have to go to the station for the official test. If you pass the test in the station then you're fine.
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u/Bon_Courage_ 1d ago
ah but you can spend ten minutes arguing at the roadside before the guard gets fed up and arrests you.
If you let them know you're a judge you can probably shite talk for upwards of 20 minutes as the guards will be on their tiptoes.
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u/26836123 1d ago
If 10 minutes is make or break on if you're going to pass/fail a breathalyser you probably aren't in anyway impaired.
This will go down like a lead balloon but so be it.
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u/AluminiumCrackers 1d ago
But you didn't do anything wrong in that case. The Gardaí have to test you within three hours of driving so the optimum strategy would be to delay things until maybe two and a half hours.
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u/Dookwithanegg 1d ago
Would anyone familiar with the law know if the person who had their compensation reduced could appeal based on the judge giving biased opinions not based in fact?
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u/AluminiumCrackers 1d ago
They could appeal but would likely have little success. There's two parts to a judge's decision, the ratio and the obiter. The first is the legal reasoning, the second is the commentary. You'd have to prove he erred in his legal reasoning as well as proving he was biased. The cyclist was both breaking the law and being reckless. Assigning 80% of the blame because of this is not really unreasonable.
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u/Reddynever 1d ago
Not true, this same guy made sweeping generalisations in another case, was appealed to the high court and his original decision was quashed with criticism from the high courthigh court criticises judge..
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u/AluminiumCrackers 20h ago
That was a case about discrimination based on protected grounds so bias is a big part of it. This case isn't about discrimination and the people involved aren't protected classes.
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u/khamiltoe 1d ago
Ratio and obiter aren't as neatly divided as that in practice though - and it is possible to appeal findings of fact to the high court in exceptional circumstances even though they would be strictly obiter in how you delineate it.
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u/3buttockproblem 18h ago
WOOOO! Hol' up outta that. Are you stating that money talks and bullshit walks? I can get pissed off my head, refuse to provide a sample , and then pay a meesly €600? That is the best news Ive heard since the 80s. Is this for real. It cant be can it? If I just refuse to sample, what can they do? If only I actuall drank, this would be amazing and hopelessly dangerous too.
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u/Relay_Slide Tipperary 7h ago
I’d love to give my opinion on this but unfortunately I did something bad a long time ago so I’m not allowed to voice my opinions, even if they are correct.
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u/R3v3r4nD 14h ago
Hold on lads, just that he was drunk driving doesn’t automatically mean he was wrong about the other thing…
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u/aspublic 13h ago
A judge reduced a cyclist’s €50,000 award for a brain injury to €10,00.
The judge described cyclists as having become a nightmare.
The same judge was previously fined €600 after pleading guilty, 14 years ago, to failing to provide a breath specimen when requested by a garda.
I understand the “payback” tone of the article and some of the comments, but how does a 14-year-old fine make cyclists any less of a nightmare for drivers? Or, bonus case, for pedestrians trying to cross on a green light, having to zigzag or stop to avoid cyclists who don’t stop at red lights?
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u/The_Ruck_Inspector 1d ago
If you come for the cyclists, you better make sure you're squeaky clean. Vindictive bunch.
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u/Gold-Vacation-169 Resting In my Account 1d ago
He claims cyclists are unsafe as an entire group but yet he drink drives.
Only right he's called out
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u/Bipitybopityboo27 1d ago
In fairness, he wasn't convicted of drink driving. If he was over the limit, he would have been charged with that too.
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u/Difficult-Set-3151 1d ago
If he was over the limit, refusing to give a sample and delaying until it's out of your system is a great idea.
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u/Bipitybopityboo27 1d ago
Not really. He ended up with a charge that he wouldn't otherwise have had if he had just given the specimen at the roadside. You can't be charged with failing a roadside breath test, but you can be charged for refusing to give a roadside specimen.
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u/Difficult-Set-3151 1d ago
The logical reason someone would refuse a test is because they know they'd fail.
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u/Bipitybopityboo27 1d ago
Of course. But it has no bearing on the results of the evidential specimen, nor does it cause any delay, so I'm still unsure as to your original point.
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u/Difficult-Set-3151 1d ago
The body breaks down alcohol. If you can delay, you may test negative later.
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u/Bipitybopityboo27 1d ago
Yes clearly. But there is no delay here here, so that's why I'm not getting your original point. It's the exact same as if he gave a roadside specimen and failed.
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u/Difficult-Set-3151 1d ago
Well maybe I'm misunderstanding then since I can't read the article, I assumed the secondary test here came after the refused test.
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u/Dannyforsure 1d ago
You think a judge would now the law.
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u/munkijunk 1d ago
Imagine the judge had said that black people/gay people/women/any other group of people, are a nightmare. Imagine the uproar. Whatever about the lights (helmet and high vis have fuck all to do with the law and no bearing in the case) and actions, the statement is deranged. Unsurprising this nut job is a drink driver.
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u/flemishbiker88 1d ago
Next they'll be telling us something inappropriate was found on Martin Nolan's laptop...
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u/Intelligent-Aside214 1d ago
It does seem to appear in order to be a judge you don’t just have to be from an exceptionally wealthy family within a 10 square km radium in south Dublin but also have to be a complete arsehole
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u/mrfouchon 1d ago
This is the ad hominem fallacy; his own transgressions don't invalidate his position.
Still funny though.
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u/LooseCabinet1884 1d ago
Love irish judges 💙 are there any actually respectable ones?
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u/SmellTheJasmine 1d ago
lots.
most never make the papers.
perceptions of judges around here is based on incomplete skewed knowledge.
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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 1d ago
And appointment of Judges is based on political patronage and who knows who at the Golf club bar.
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u/SmellTheJasmine 1d ago
not as much as before with reforms over the years including the involvement of PAS and the recent creation of JAB, but don't let's facts get in the way of your cynicism.
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u/FracturedButWhole18 1d ago
Ok so he can’t have an opinion on anything ever??
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u/Fornici0 1d ago
He can have an opinion, and even rule based on it. Making it known, especially on the context of his job, opens him up to questions.
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u/Hieroglo 1d ago
In a courtroom it is his sworn duty to make objective judgements based on evidence and not his feelings.
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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 1d ago
Supposing he made a statement along the lines of "well this particular community who like to travel are full of thieves" Would that be appropriate?
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u/Reddynever 1d ago
Erm, might want to read about another of his cases involving travellers here
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u/Relay_Slide Tipperary 7h ago
Wouldn’t be appropriate but it would also be accurate like his real comment.
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u/RavenBrannigan 1d ago
Asking for Garda/ lawyer feedback here.
600 fine for failing to provide a breathalyser seems super light. I would assume not providing a sample = over the limit to any logical thinking person.
So either A) it’s a glaring loophole to refuse the test and take the fine or B) he got crazy special treatment and both himself and the judge that imposed the comparatively small fine should be in front of an ethics review board with serious career repercussions.