A man who was found cycling a bike on the Letterkenny dual carriageway while drunk has been convicted in court.
Gardai apprehended Gintaras Jankauskas at 11.35pm on July 6, 2023 at Raymoghy, Manorcunningham after responding to a call about a male cycling on the dual carriageway.
Gardai encountered Jankauskas just before the Manor roundabout, cycling on the hard shoulder.
Jankauskas, a 54-year-old of Churchlands, Manorcunningham, was described as being ‘extremely unsteady’ and when Gardai spoke with him he was found to be extremely intoxicated.
Jankauskas was arrested and brought to the station, where a specimen of breath showed 82 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
Sergeant Jim Collins told Letterkenny District Court that Jankauskas was fully cooperative and has no previous convictions.
An interpreter was present in court to assist Jankauskas.
Solicitor Mr Donough Cleary said Jankauskas resided in Manorcunningham and was socialising in Letterkenny on the night in question. His bicycle is his only mode of transport, Mr Cleary said.
Mr Cleary said Jankauskas hails from Lithuania and has been in Ireland since 2005. “He doesn’t have a word of English for a man who has been here so long,” Mr Cleary said, adding: “The whole procedure in the garda station was something of a mystery.”
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham convicted Jankauskas and fined him €200, giving six months to pay.