A woman who twice paid a friend to sit her driver’s theory test for her has been spared a sentence and a criminal conviction.
Faria Ali (30), who is from Somalia but has an address at the North Circular Road in Dublin pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted deception.
The offences occurred on January 4th and January 31st last at driver theory test centres in Santry and Grand Mill Quay, in Dublin.
Judge Michael Walsh heard at Dublin District Court that on the first occasion the woman had “paid a friend to sit the driver’s theory test”. However, staff at the centre refused to let the accused’s friend do the test.
On the second date, at the Grand Mill Quay test centre, in Dublin 4, she had again paid her friend to sit her driver theory exam for her. But this attempt was also detected and Ali was later arrested by Detective Garda Bryan Hunt.
Defence solicitor Aine Flynn told Judge Walsh that Ali, who has been living in Ireland since 2009, had sent US $100 to her friend’s family in Somalia as payment.
Her brother had suffered a stroke and she needed to be able to drive to help him; her friend who had suggested the plan had been given the Probation Act previously for her role in the offence, said the defence lawyer.
Ms Flynn also said that Ali wanted to get her learner’s permit and had “underestimated the seriousness of what she was involved in”.
Judge Walsh noted that the woman was willing to donate money to charity and after she handed over €300, to be given to the Irish Heart Foundation, he applied the Probation Act.