'By the luck of the Gods,' Man led gardaí in two counties on a chase before crashing his car
Waterford Courthouse.
A man who led gardaí in two counties on a high-speed chase before crashing his car has been sentenced to 11 months in prison and disqualified from driving for six years.
Joseph Falconer (30) of 11 Suir Crescent, Mooncoin, appeared before Judge Fiona Brennan at a sitting of Waterford District Court charged with five counts of dangerous driving, two counts of no insurance, one count of driving without a license and one count of breaching his duties on the occurrence of an accident for an incident on July 13 and 14, 2025.
The defendant was also before the court for theft of diesel in a separate incident in April 2025.
Sergeant John Phelan told the court that on July 13, 2025, at around 10pm, gardaí on mobile patrol observed the defendant’s car at Woodlawn Grove and attempted to stop him.
The defendant accelerated, swerving between traffic and continuing through red lights, with gardaí in pursuit until the patrol had to stand down.
Later that night, gardaí in Mooncoin, South Kilkenny, observed the defendant on the wrong side of the road and attempted to pursue him.
The defendant eventually crashed the car in Paulstown around midnight.
On April 15, 2025, the defendant entered a filling station on Paddy Browne’s Road, filled up his car with €70 worth of diesel and drove away without paying.
The court was told that the defendant had 74 previous convictions and is currently serving a sentence in prison.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Hilary Delahunty pointed out that in all the charges against his client, endangerment was not one of them.
He said he had known Mr Falconer and his family a long time and he was sad to have to represent him again.
He said his client was in and out of prison many times, but he had been doing well for two years working as a tradesman.
Mr Delahunty said his 30-year-old client had two children and “still had a lot to offer” in his life.
He asked that the judge not extend his time in prison.
Judge Brennan said that given “the litany of offences” she could not “in the public interest accede to that request” and that it was “the luck of the Gods” that nobody was injured.
Judge Brennan said the defendant showed a “complete disregard” for the public, gardaí and the rules of the road.
She said that given the length of time the incident took place over, “he must have had hundreds of opportunities to stop and he didn’t stop”.
Taking into account the totality principle, the judge sentenced the defendant to 11 months in prison, as well as giving him an eight-month suspended sentence, as well as disqualifying him from driving for six years.
In total, the defendant received seven, six-month prison sentences, one five-month sentence and an eight-month sentence suspended for two years.
He was given eight, six-year disqualifications, which were concurrent, meaning he is off the road for six years.
