Father of six is jailed for dangerous driving while his wife and two youngest children were in the car

By Anne Sharkey

A father-of-six has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for dangerous driving with his wife and two of their youngest children in the car.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the accused had been living in his car at the time of the incident.

Charlie Maughan (42) of 77 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1 pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Snugborough Road, Dublin 15 on April 28 2019.

Simon Matthews, BL defending told the court that Maughan is no longer living in his car, and that with a son who is suicidal and a daughter that has cystic fibrosis, he is ‘holding the family together’.

He added that Maughan is aware of the seriousness of the offence and that he has 22 previous convictions which are mostly non-violent.

Judge Pauline Codd described the gravity of the offence, which she said arose in the context of a garda checkpoint routine stop in which the accused ‘increased speed while being followed by gardai who had activated their lights and a siren’.

Judge Codd described Maughan’s behaviour as ‘reckless driving’ during which he went the ‘wrong way around a roundabout’, swerved to the other side of the road and overtook three cars.

The court heard that the accused man’s wife and two of his young children were passengers in the car at the time of the incident.

Judge Codd said that a ‘car is essentially a dangerous weapon’ and that Maughan was fortunate that no-one was injured during this ‘impulsive offence.

She added that mitigating factors were the fact that the accused was living in his car at the time and that he could benefit from therapy in future.

However, the level of risk posed at numerous points required a custodial sentence.

She sentenced Mr Maughan to four years in prison, suspending the final 18 months on the condition that the accused follow the conditions of probation.