A 28-year-old woman, who endangered the life of a Garda during a high speed pursuit, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Gemma Greene of Bunratty Road, Coolock, Dublin pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including recklessly engaging in conduct in such a manner as to drive in the direction of a Garda.
The court heard that on March 1st 2021, Gemma Greene, who was 24-years-old at the time, led Gardaí on an hour long high speed pursuit on the M50.
Garda car and van parked in Cork, Ireland. Alamy.comAt one point she reached speeds of 200km per hour on the motorway, while she was clocked doing 160km per hour in a 50km zone.
She also drove towards Garda Darren Blackwell when he was outside of his vehicle and he told the court today that he thought he was going to be killed.
He said he ran towards a barrier on the motorway to jump over it as the white Mercedes she was driving came towards him.
However in a split second he changed his mind and ran towards the middle of the road.
He said he avoided being hit by a matter of steps.
Garda Blackwell, who has a partner and two young children, said he has struggled to come to terms with the incident.
Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Gemma Greene to two years in prison for endangerment, while she was disqualified from driving for four years.
Photo shows Garda traffic checkpoints on the Athgarvan Road in Newbridge, County Kildare. Photo: Eamonn Farrell/© RollingNews.ie
