A ROLLS ROYCE motorist yesterday admitted speeding at 168km per hour – 68km above the limit – on a dangerous stretch of road that has claimed seven lives in recent years.
Ballyshannon District Court heard Paul Hill (44) was driving a Rolls Royce Ghost last week and at one stage he overtook a red Lamborghini and there was an Aston Martin behind him.
It happened during the Cannonball Roadtrip in aid of the Hole in the Wall gang founded by Paul Newman, which has its Irish HQ at Barrettstown Castle, Co Kildare.
The convoy was en route from Dublin to Donegal on September 10th when gardaí were alerted about dangerous driving at Glasbolie, Ballintra. The court heard Hill, a Northern Ireland hotel and leisure business owner who lives at Carrickbrack Rd, Sutton, Dublin, said “sorry for wasting your time” when he was stopped by gardaí who charged him with dangerous driving.
Defence counsel Declan McHugh asked Judge Kevin Kilrane to reduce the dangerous-driving charge to one of careless driving. Mr McHugh said Hill was overtaking only one car and there was no oncoming traffic.
The judge agreed to reduce the charge to careless driving, bearing in mind Hill had no previous convictions and the run was for charity. He imposed a €400 fine and reminded Hill he would now have five penalty points on his driving licence.