Banned driver took partner's car to help friend and crashed into telephone pole

A disqualified driver who took his partner’s car without permission and crashed it into a telephone pole, claimed that he was driving a friend to the railway station to travel for cancer treatment.

32-year-old Timmy Saubolle, whose most recent address was The Green, Tir Cluainn, Midleton, County Cork, appeared for sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, where he pleaded guilty to charges including taking the car without permission and driving without insurance.

He was disqualified at the time and in fact had been given driving bans a total of 19 times.

Judge Helen Boyle said, “Whether you thought you were being a good Samaritan for your friend you should not have been on the road.” Mahon Corkery defence barrister said the DPP directed that it could have been dealt with at district court level but the judge in that court refused jurisdiction so it had to be sent to the circuit court.

“He was bringing the other man to the train station to go to hospital in Limerick for cancer treatment. And this other man since died,” 

Mr Corkery said.

Detective Sergeant Kieran O’Sullivan accepted that this was the reason for the defendant’s driving on the occasion.

However, he said that at 9am on the morning in question – January 5 2024 – gardaí on duty in the Mayfield area recognised him as the driver and signalled for him to stop but he failed to do so. 

The car was found crashed minutes later at boulders by Liffey Park. He and the passenger were not in the car at the time.

His 112 previous convictions included numerous counts under the Road Traffic Act including three for driving a car without the owner’s permission.

Mr Corkery asked for sentencing to be adjourned so that the accused could go into residential treatment for his addictions.

Judge Boyle agreed adjourn sentencing until November 26.

Judge Boyle left the accused in no doubt:

“It is very much at the hazard of a custodial sentence due to persist in offending – doing the same crime over and over again. 

You must address your addiction issues. If you come out of residential treatment I am going to send you straight into custody – I don’t care what the excuse is.”