Kildare Gardai had to travel over 200kph on M4 to catch up with driver

A 19 year-old man who was found speeding at over two hundred kilometres per hour on the M4 motorway has been disqualified from driving for two years.

Daniel Harty (19) of Mountcashel, Kilmurray, Sixmilebridge, County Clare, appeared before Kilcock District Court on November 7, charged with dangerous driving.

Gardai were doing a checkpoint on the M4 around 2am on the morning of May 27 this year, when they recorded Mr Harty's car travelling west on the motorway at 176kph in the 120kph zone.

They activated the blue light on the patrol car and followed him.

The patrol car had to increase its speed to over 200kph to catch him.

Mr Harty stopped before the toll bridge. He was arrested and taken to Leixlip Garda Station.

There was not too much traffic at the time and the road condition was quite good, Judge Desmond Zaidan was told by gardai.

Sarah Connolly BL, representing Mr Harty, said her client was 18 years-old at the time. He had his parents' car and they wanted it back. She asked that the charge be reduced to careless driving as an “extreme favour.”

Judge Zaidan said there were “significant aggravating features,” in the case.

He fined him €500 as well as banning him for two years.