An international protection applicant has appeared at Monaghan District Court in relation to a serious hit and run incident.
The collision occurred near Carrickmacross and resulted in almost 1,200 residents being left without electricity for several hours and causing almost €60,000 in damage when the car he was driving spun out of control and collided with an ESB pole.
35-year-old Tennyson Dube, with an address at the M Hotel, Carrickmacross, fled the scene on foot and left his female passenger with a fractured rib following the high speed collision at Kingscourt Road, Mullanarry, Carrickmacross, on November 30, 2024.
The Zimbabwe national had been travelling at such a speed that the ESB pole his silver Opel Insignia collided with came down on the road and left approximately 1,158 homes and businesses in the greater local area without power.
Sgt Lisa McEntee said when gardaí arrived on the scene shortly before 11:30pm, a woman who appeared to be carrying an injury could be seen attempting to flag down officers while surrounded by phone lines that lay down along the road. She said the woman told gardaí how Mr Dube had left the scene moments earlier but was unsure of his name, saying she believed he was a resident in the M Hotel. An initial examination of the crashed car also revealed an absence of any insurance or tax disks.
Dube pleaded guilty to failing to remain at the scene and the court heard how he walked back to the hotel before giving a voluntary cautioned statement to gardaí the following day in which he accepted his culpability.
His solicitor told the court that he simply panicked at the time of the collision. Judge John Brennan said there was no denying the accused had been "very unfortunate", adding how his role in the crash would ultimately lead to the "whole power of Carrickmacross" being put out following the collision. He said despite the possible repercussions facing Dube's bid to secure asylum, leaving the scene of an accident at a time when his passenger was carrying an injury remained a factor that the court could not overlook.
Dube was subsequently banned from driving for two years and fined €300 for dangerous driving. Judge Brennan also imposed a further €300 for one of the section 106 road traffic charges.
