British teenager fined €2,400 for driving without insurance

A 19-year-old girl from Luton will be counting her blessings as she flies home this afternoon, having been let off with a fine after being found guilty of driving a car without the consent of the owner and without insurance coverage.

Police Inspector Maurice Curmi arraigned Niamh Maria Murphy before Magistrate Carol Peralta this morning, after the girl was involved in a collision with a BMW whilst she was driving a Daihatsu Sirion belonging to her brother's girlfriend.

Inspector Curmi explained that the police were arraigning her under arrest because the owner of the BMW had filed a police report. She was also due to return to the UK in the next 24 hours, he told the court.

Lawyer Noel Bianco, appearing for the girl, pointed out that she was not being charged with vehicle theft. The magistrate agreed, gently telling the girl, who was clearly frightened “it is obvious that you borrowed the car, you didn’t steal it.” 

But the court was also not about to let the matter go unpunished. “The young lady made a mistake, and the mistake is going to cost her because the law specifies a minimum fine of €2,400.”

As the girl did not have sufficient funds to pay the fine – a fact which could have precluded her from travelling - the court conceded her the facility of paying her fine in installments over a 12-month period. The owner of the Daihatsu which she had been driving, stepped up and offered to act as a guarantor.

“I want to make it very clear to you,” warned the magistrate, sternly. “You may be young, but I hope you realise that you still have responsibilities. Should you fail to pay the fine, the authorities will turn on your boyfriend’s sister and she will have to pay on your behalf. It is a question of honour and duty.”