Speeding summons against Coveney struck out

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney had a summons for speeding against him struck out yesterday after a judge said he was satisfied that Mr Coveney was not driving the car and ordered him to pay €200 to the court poor box.

Mr Coveney had been summonsed to appear at Midleton District Court in relation to a motoring offence in Cobh at 12.52am on May 5th, 2012, when a car registered to Mr Coveney was clocked by a speed camera van travelling at 71km/h in a 60km/h zone.

Camera van operator Hugh Kelleher told defence solicitor Sion Williams that he could not identify the driver of the car.

Mr Coveney said he was in the car that night but that it was driven by his driver Garret Ahern.

He wrote to the local superintendent, stressing he was not seeking to avoid penalty points but he simply wanted to clarify he was not the driver.

After hearing evidence from Mr Ahern that he was driving the car, Judge Brian Sheridan agreed to strike out the charge against Mr Coveney on the undertaking that he pay €200 to the poor box.