A young driver carelessly drove down a west Dublin road with her boyfriend sitting on the bonnet of the car, a court has heard.
Wanessa Kask, 22, was collecting her boyfriend from the pub at the time, her solicitor told the court. Her actions were later described as "absolute utter foolishness".
Judge David McHugh convicted and fined Kask €300, but did not disqualify her from driving.
The defendant, of Bolton Street, Drogheda, Co Louth, admitted careless driving at Clonsilla Road in Blanchardstown on January 29, 2026.
Kask had originally been charged with dangerous driving, an offence that carries a mandatory two-year driving ban. However, the judge accepted a plea to the lesser charge of careless driving, which does not involve an automatic disqualification.
Garda Christopher Hogan White told Blanchardstown District Court that he was on routine mobile patrol shortly after midnight when he saw a Volkswagen Golf driving towards him with a man sitting on the bonnet.
The court heard that Clonsilla Road is usually a busy route, although there were not many vehicles or pedestrians in the area at that time of night.
It was also noted that Kask had no previous convictions or history of coming before the courts.
Defence solicitor Carol Slattery said Kask had been collecting her boyfriend from the pub. She told the court that her client had tried to stop the situation, but accepted that she had moved the car for a period while he remained on the bonnet.
Ms Slattery asked the court to be as lenient as possible, saying Kask was very sorry for the incident, which she described as "absolute utter foolishness".