Cork man receives suspended sentence for 'frightening the life' out of learner driver

A man who “frightened the life” out of a learner driver when he left his car to berate her at a junction has received a jail sentence, suspended on condition that he address his “anger management issues”.

Noel Moloney, a father-of-four, left his own car to approach the Aviva driving instructor vehicle being driven by the young woman when she parked at a junction in Skibbereen in west Cork on July 26 last year.

Moloney, of 7 Flaxmills in Skibbereen, began banging on the windows of the instruction vehicle and started shouting “Do you know the rules of the road?” 

At Skibbereen District Court, where Moloney pleaded guilty to a Section 6 Public Order offence, Sgt Paul Kelly said that having approached the vehicle the defendant then opened the driver door of the instruction car and continued to shout at the learner driver. At that stage the driving instructor, who was in the passenger seat, asked him to desist.

Moloney, 54, went back to his own car but the driving instructor took note of his car registration and reported the matter to gardaí.

Moloney was subsequently identified as the registered owner and contacted by gardaí. Later he handed in a prepared statement in which he admitted his role in the incident.

GUILTY PLEA

Through his solicitor, Liam O’Donovan, Mr Moloney pleaded guilty to the charge and said he apologised for his behaviour, which Mr O’Donovan said was “appalling” and for which there was “no excuse”.

Moloney had 21 previous convictions, including four for public order, one for drink-driving and one for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.

Mr O’Donovan said the junction in question near Upper Bridge St required the driver to “nudge out” but there was no justification for his client’s behaviour.

Mr O’Donovan said Mr Moloney was a consultant engineer who often worked overseas but who also had issues over the years with alcohol and an underlying anxiety. He said he had brought a letter of apology and €1000 to court for the injured party.

But Judge James McNulty said the offence warranted a custodial sentence, with Moloney’s previous offending a factor.

“Now he is frightening the living daylights out of a young driver taking a driving lesson with a driving instructor, navigating her way through narrow streets in a lovely town,” the judge said.

Judge McNulty said Mr Moloney’s behaviour, whether driven by impatience, anxiety or bad manners, was unacceptable, including "to berate a young driver, to open the young driver’s door and question her on what she is doing, frightening her until the driving instructor intervenes and says ‘back off, chum’.” 

The judge said the young woman could have been “traumatised” by what happened. 

He imposed a 60 day sentence but suspended it for two years on special conditions, including that the €1,000 be paid to the injured party and that Mr Moloney enter Probation Service supervision for one year.

Another condition is that Mr Moloney take steps to address what the judge described as his “anger management issues, such as through counselling or a course.

The judge said what occurred was “appalling conduct or a man of his age” and warned Moloney as to his future conduct.

“This is the last boarding call for Mr Moloney,“ Judge McNulty said.