Zimbabwean Driver Banned And Fined After Crash Cuts Power To 1,200 Homes In Ireland

A Zimbabwean man left almost 1,200 customers without electricity for several hours and caused nearly €60,000 worth of damage after losing control of his car and crashing into an ESB pole in Ireland.

Tennyson Dube (35), an international protection applicant residing at the M Hotel in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, fled the scene on foot, leaving his female front-seat passenger with a fractured rib following the high-speed collision on Kingscourt Road, Mullanarry, Carrickmacross, on 30 November 2024.

Dube had been travelling at such speed that the ESB pole struck by his silver Opel Insignia snapped and fell onto the road, cutting power to approximately 1,158 homes and businesses in the wider Carrickmacross area for several hours.

Sergeant Lisa McEntee told the court that when Gardaí arrived shortly before 11:30 PM, they found a woman, who appeared injured, attempting to flag them down while surrounded by fallen phone lines scattered across the road.

She informed officers that Dube had fled moments earlier but did not know his name, only that he was believed to be staying at the hotel used to house international protection applicants.

A preliminary inspection of the vehicle revealed it was displaying neither insurance nor tax discs.

The injured woman was taken to the hospital, where she was found to have sustained a fractured rib.

Sergeant McEntee said the road had to be closed due to the power outage, with ESB subsequently incurring more than €58,000 in repair and clean-up costs.

Dube pleaded guilty to failing to remain at the scene of an accident and to dangerous driving.

The court heard that he had walked back to the hotel after the crash and gave Gardaí a voluntary cautioned statement the following day, accepting responsibility for the incident.

Defence solicitor Niall Fox said Dube, a father of two and a provisional licence holder, had “panicked” and made the wrong decision by fleeing.

Fox told the court that Dube had purchased the car only days earlier and had taken the “silly decision” to drive without insurance so he could collect a friend and the friend’s female companion from a bus stop.

While Dube was not facing a charge of driving without insurance, Fox said his client wished to be “open and frank” about the events of that night.

He added that Dube, who had six years’ driving experience before coming to Ireland two years ago, had been fully cooperative with Gardaí during the investigation.

Fox urged the court not to impose a custodial sentence, acknowledging the “inevitable impact” the case would have on Dube’s ongoing application for international protection.

Judge John Brennan remarked that Dube’s actions had effectively caused “the whole power of Carrickmacross” to go out, and while the potential consequences for his asylum application were noted, leaving the scene despite his passenger’s injury was an aggravating factor.

Dube was banned from driving for two years and fined €300 for dangerous driving, with a further €300 imposed under section 106 of the Road Traffic Act.

More: Sunday World