Man jailed for ‘appalling’ driving offences including going wrong way down Jack Lynch tunnel

A motorist has been jailed for two and a half years after he showed a contemptuous attitude towards driving bans by committing multiple further offences including ramming a garda car and driving through the Jack Lynch Tunnel the wrong way while disqualified, a judge has declared.

Tony Caulfield (26) from Cathedral Road, Gurranebraher, Cork, had pleaded guilty in January at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to a series of offences including endangerment, criminal damage, and dangerous driving on two separate dates in February and November 2021.*

Sentencing Caulfield on Monday to four and a half years in jail with the final two years suspended for the various offences, Judge Dara Hayes observed that the accused had engaged in “an appalling litany of driving offences covering large swathes of Cork city”.

Caulfield had earlier pleaded guilty that on November 18th, 2021 he endangered life in the early hours of the morning at N20 Mallow Rd, Killeens, Co Cork, by driving against oncoming traffic on a dual-carriageway, causing risk of death or injury.

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He had also pleaded guilty that on November 18th 2021 at the Skew Bridge, Lower Glanmire Road, Cork, he intentionally rammed two garda cars, endangering life and to two counts of dangerous driving at Sweeney’s Hill and Knockfree Avenue on the same date.

And he further pleaded guilty to causing €7,000 worth of criminal damage to a garda car at the Skew Bridge and causing €3,000 damage to another garda vehicle at Killeens and a third count of causing €6,000 damage to a patrol car at Mallow Road, Cork, all on the same date.

Judge Hayes noted that Caulfield had also pleaded guilty to offences relating to his driving when he drove the wrong way down the Jack Lynch Tunnel in the early hours of February 25th 2021, when maintenance staff were carrying out work on the tunnel.

“He drove the wrong way through the Jack Lynch tunnel (west through the eastbound bore) when unsuspecting maintenance workers were entitled to presume the absence of traffic. It is a miracle nobody was injured during either of the disgraceful episodes.

“That he continues to flout disqualifications shows a contemptuous attitude on his part. He has ruined his own life. He is remorseful for his actions. He appears to be now ready to leave his destructive life behind him.

“He says he was young and stupid. The probation report puts him at a very high risk of reoffending,” says Judge Hayes, noting that Caulfield had two previous convictions for endangerment and 20 previous convictions for dangerous driving.

Judge Hayes said it was a shocking litany of driving offences where garda cars were rammed, he drove through a total of eleven red lights and there was no insurance for driving while he was under two different disqualification orders at the time.

Pleading for leniency for Caulfield and pointing out that he had pleaded guilty to the various offences, defence counsel Siobhán Lankford SC expressed the hope that her client had turned a corner in relation to his offending.

“Clearly, he has, to say the least, a lamentable history in relation to driving ... Over the last ten years he has hardly had a birthday or a Christmas that was not spent in prison. One hopes that as often occurs when people reach a certain age they steady up.”

*Article amended on May 24th, 2023