Untaxed car case against Cork man struck out despite judge’s concerns

A road tax case against a Cork man who said he was only helping a friend collect a car bought online was struck out despite a judge describing his account as “more than a little bit suspicious”.

Darren Corcoran, 27, of Mount Saint Joseph Drive, Gurranabraher, Cork, appeared before Kinsale District Court, sitting in Bandon.

Garda O’Donoghue of Bandon Garda Station said he was alerted by the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system to a Ford Focus without road tax on the Dunmanway Road near Bandon on August 8, 2025.

 The 2009-registered car was stopped and found to have been untaxed for three months, the court heard.

Corcoran admitted the facts but told the court he had not bought the car. He said a friend had purchased it on Done Deal and had asked him to travel with him from Cork to collect it.

Defence solicitor Éamonn Fleming said Corcoran had arranged insurance to drive the vehicle but it was his friend who had bought it.

“He simply facilitated a friend,” Mr Fleming said.

Corcoran told the court he worked in the motor trade and held a trade insurance policy. He said he believed his friend had the car for a few months before getting rid of it because it was giving trouble.

Mr Fleming said Corcoran had not received a fixed charge penalty notice. He accepted it was “a little bit suspicious” that Corcoran had not told gardaí at the time that the car had just been bought.

Judge Joanne Carroll said it was “more than a little bit suspicious”.

When asked why he had not explained the position, Corcoran said he was asked to take a drug test after being stopped, which he passed, and the matter did not arise. 

The court heard Corcoran had eight previous convictions, seven of them for road traffic offences. Judge Carroll struck out the matter.

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