Criminals in Limerick are brazenly registering their cars in the names of members of the Gardaí
Criminals in County Limerick are giving “two fingers” to the law by registering their vehicles in the names of members of the Gardaí or in the names of children.
It was revealed in Kilmallock Court, County Limerick, that one “owner” of a vehicle was a four-year-old girl. As a result of that particular criminal investigation, a Volkswagen Passat was seized following a high-speed chase.
A Volkswagen Passat was seized as part of a criminal investigation following a high-speed pursuit.
A Garda witness in court said he was on patrol in an unmarked car in Kilmallock at 8 pm on December 26, 2018, when he saw a black Passat with five occupants which then took off at speed. The Garda Pat Ahern said the vehicle was registered in the name of a four-year-old. He said:
“They took off at speed. They did a number of manoeuvres. They crashed at Forty Acres, Bruree. They went clean in over the ditch. The five occupants got out of the car and fled. The car was seized.”
It was found after the investigation that no one made any claim for the vehicle as it was registered to a young child. Garda Ahern said:
“The car is registered in the name of a four-year-old. Nobody will accept ownership of the vehicle.”
Another source went on to say:
“They are even registering cars in the names of gardaí to give us the two fingers. You can register the car to anybody you like because there is no cross-reference between the logbook and the new owner.
"There is nothing to say that you are who you say you are. The seller of the car is supposed to send off the name of the new owner to change ownership.
"They can use any name as long as they give an address that the new certificate can be sent to. They don’t tax or insure the car.”
The vehicle has been in storage since it was seized and the judge in the case has agreed to the police property application for the destruction of the vehicle and there has been no attempt to recover it. Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick Niall Collins said:
“This is an affront to gardaí and law-abiding members of the public who pay their tax, insurance and get their NCT.
"This shouldn’t be allowed to happen. I am calling on Minister Shane Ross to reform the system so that when you are registering a car there should be a cross-check of maybe a PPS number or a cross-check with a date of birth.
"I am going to raise this in the Dáil when it returns.”
Author
Justin Kavanagh
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