Kerry TD Michael Cahill who was caught travelling at 190 km/h has issued a statement after his appearance in Fermoy District Court today.
The Fianna Fáil member was nabbed when he overtook an unmarked patrol car southbound on the M8 outside Michelstown Co Cork last March.
The court heard when stopped he told Gardai he was a TD and in a hurry to get to an event.
Cahill a member of the joint Justice committee was fined € 500 – convicted of dangerous driving and banned from driving for two years.
Commenting on the case Judge Colm Robert’s said “ speed Kills”
The TD has since issued the following statement
“I wish to offer my sincere and unreserved apology for driving at an unacceptable speed on the M8 between Mitchelstown and Fermoy last year.
“At the time, I was travelling from Leinster House to a meeting at St Mary of the Angels in St Francis’ Special School in Beaufort, County Kerry, when I was stopped by a member of An Garda Síochána.
“I am very sorry. There is no excuse for my actions. I am acutely aware of the number of serious and fatal accidents on our roads, the devastating impact these tragedies have on families and the fact that excessive speed is a major contributory factor.
“I will not appeal the conviction and furthermore I have informed the Taoiseach of my intention to step back as a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.”
Reacting to the case An Taoiseach Micheal Martin Michael Cahill “ has rightly received his punishment in the courts, a decision he fully accepts.
As legislators, Dail deputies have a particular responsibility to set the right example, and Deputy Cahill has accepted that this incident let down both his family and the wider community.
He has also decided to step down from the Justice Committee. The matter will also be considered by the party’s Rules & Procedures Committee in due course”
