Laois man who lost friend in Limerick crash admits drug driving 

A man who was caught drug driving had been upset at the time as his friend had been killed in a collision in Limerick.  

Jack Stone(22) of 1 Higgins Park, Fairgreen Village, Portlaoise admitted driving under the influence of cannabis at Pearse Street, Mountmellick on October 14, 2023. 

Garda Ross Foy gave evidence of getting a strong smell of cannabis after stopping the 07D registered VW Golf on the N80 at Pearse Street in Mountmellick on the date in question. He said the defendant failed a roadside drug test and later tested positive for cannabis. 

Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client was going through a tough time and “very upset” at the time of the offending. 

“He had lost a friend in a car accident, a young man that lost his life in Limerick,” she told the sitting of Portlaoise District Court. 

Ms Fitzpatrick said her client was pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity. She said the man was in receipt of social welfare. 

Judge Andrew Cody disqualified the man from driving for a year and fined him €100. He granted legal aid in the case.