Kieron Ducie has been granted free legal aid for his trial for driving a car without an NCT.
The businessman and friend of late model Katy French appeared at Dublin District Court on Thursday to face a charge of driving a 2005-registered imported car which allegedly did not have a certificate of roadworthiness (NCT).
The driving offence is alleged to have occurred at Belvedere Road, Dublin, on August 18th last year.
Defence solicitor Paul Fitzpatrick told Judge Patricia McNamara that a hearing date was required.
The judge refused to set a March 2016 hearing date and said it would be held in November before asking if Mr Ducie (45) was “at risk”.
The defence solicitor said: “The reason I ask for a later hearing date is that he may be at risk if the matter goes a certain way.”
The socialite businessman, of Lambertstown Manor, Kilmessan, Co Meath was wearing a navy sweater, black trousers, white shirt and brown shoes and stood silently as his lawyer addressed the court on his behalf.
Acceded to request
The judge set a November date for the non-jury District Court trial and she acceded to a request to grant free legal aid to Mr Ducie.
The court heard he is not working at present.
Mr Ducie has pleaded not guilty to the offence, which is alleged to have occurred while he was under a suspended sentence in relation to a drugs offence connected to the death of Katy French.
In February 2013 he had admitted that at an unknown location between 6pm on December 1st, 2007, and 10am on December 2nd, 2007, he and another person procured a man to possess cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply to another.
That charge arose out from the death of the professional model in Co Meath eight years ago.
Trim Circuit Court imposed a sentence of 2½ years on Ducie, which was suspended on him entering a bond of €200 to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years.