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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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A learner motorcyclist caught speeding at more than 180km/h while being followed by gardaí late last night has been arrested after failing a roadside drug test.
Gardaí from the Laois Roads Policing Unit detected the motorcyclist racing through the village of Arles on the N80. Gardaí followed the rider and clocked them in excess of 180km/h before they were eventually stopped on the outskirts of Carlow town.
The motorcyclist, who only holds a learner permit, tested positive for cannabis at the roadside and was arrested at the scene.
Gardaí confirmed that the driver has been charged and will appear before an upcoming sitting of Carlow District Court.
In a post on the An Garda Síochána Laois/Offaly Facebook page, gardai said: "Laois Roads Policing Unit detected this motorcycle speeding through Arles village on the N80 late last night.
"It was followed and recorded travelling at speeds well in excess of 180kph before it was stopped on the outskirts of Carlow town. The driver, a Learner Permit holder was arrested after failing a roadside drug test for Cannabis.
"This driver has been charged to appear before an upcoming sitting at Carlow District Court,” the post concluded.
The incident sparked strong reactions on social media, with one person commenting: “Jasus [sic] after what happened last Sunday he’s looking to have the book thrown at him.”
Another added: “Idiots like this one giving all us bikers a bad name.”
The arrest comes less than a week after the tragic death of Garda Kevin Flatley, who was killed after being struck by a motorcycle while operating a speed checkpoint on the R132 near Lusk, Co Dublin, last Sunday.
The 49-year-old father of two had served with An Garda Síochána for 26 years and had been a member of the Roads Policing Unit since 2018. A motorcyclist in his 30s was seriously injured in the same incident.
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