Cork man with no insurance lost house in fire and lost his car in crash

A motorist involved in a single vehicle accident in West Cork has lost his house and his car because neither was insured, the district court has heard.

Sergeant Tom Mulcahy told Skibbereen District Court gardaí were called to an incident at Connonagh, near Leap, on August 18, 2025, at 10.50pm. A silver Volkswagen Jetta car driven by Michael Matthews, aged 70, with an address at Knockskagh, Leap, Co Cork, had been involved in a single-vehicle road traffic accident.

Matthews admitted he had no motor insurance and no driver’s licence and could not produce the documents at a Garda station.

Defence solicitor Colette McCarthy said Matthews had been in a relationship with a woman for many years, but had separated. 

She said Matthews’ former partner had looked after paperwork for him but he had not kept things up-to-date himself. She said his licence had expired when he was 69.

The court heard Matthews had also lost his home in a fire and because it was not insured he was now living in a caravan on the land. Ms McCarthy said Matthews no longer owned the car and had not driven since the incident.

Judge Joanne Carroll noted Matthews had no previous convictions and convicted and fined him €100 for having no licence and €150 for no insurance, allowing four and five months to pay the fines. Charges of failing to produce the documents were struck out, as was a charge of having no road tax.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme