'STINGRAY' STING

Extraordinary amount’ of damage to car queried

A JUDGE has queried the ‘extraordinary amount’ of the estimate of damage allegedly caused by a Portmarnock defendant to a vintage Corvette Stingray in an incident in malahide.

Niall Bourke (29), 121 Ardilaun, Portmarnock, appeared in Swords District Court charged with public drunkenness, breach of the peace and causing criminal damage to an orange Corvette Stingray at Strand Road, Malahide on October 30 last.

Sgt Paul Madden said the estimate for repairs was stg£6,958 (E10,250) and the DPP was directing summary disposal of the case in the District Court.

The defendant’s barrister, Tom Neville pointed out that this estimate was split in two and consister of stg£1,671 for the ‘core’ damage to the car itself.

The remainder of the estimate was for carriage of the vehicle via Northern Ireland, where the defendant lived, and on to Norwich.

‘It seems an extraordinary amount,’ Judge Patrick Brady remarked.

‘This happened in Malahide. Why was it necessary to bring it to Northern Ireland?’ Judge Brady asked. ‘It seems a very roundabout route.’

Sgt Madden said the owner had parked his car outside a hotel in Malahide; it was a vintage Corvette, the repairs were specialised and it had to be sent back to the UK.

Judge Brady said he felt the parties should obtain an estimate for what the repairs would cost if the car was shipped from Dublin Port instead.

He accepted jurisdiction in the case and adjourned it to January 31. He also directed disclosure of any CCTV evidence to the defence.

Fingal  Independent 12/2005