Offaly man who drove at garda previously had edible cannabis for sale

Had €2,000 worth of drugs three-and-a-half years before he 'mowed down' sergeant in Tullamore

Published 10th Jul 2026, 12:00 BST Tullamore District Court hears details of jailed man's previous offending | Tribune Pictures Had €2,000 worth of drugs three-and-a-half years before he 'mowed down' sergeant in Tullamore Sign up to our Offaly Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Offaly Live within your account.

A MAN currently in jail after he drove at a garda sergeant and knocked him down escaped the imposition of a further sentence when he appeared in custody at Tullamore District Court.

Jeffery Moran (36), College View, Rahan was sentenced to seven years in prison last month, including 18 months suspended, when Tullamore Circuit Court heard the Audi he was driving struck Detective Sergeant David Scahill at Collins Lane in Tullamore on January 23 last year.

That conviction triggered the re-entry by the gardai of a six-month suspended sentence which had been imposed in 2023 for the possession of edible cannabis.

The sentence was suspended on condition Mr Moran not commit any offences for another two years.

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Along with the conviction for endangerment arising from what Detective Sergeant Scahill said was an incident where he was “an obstacle to be struck and mowed down”, Mr Moran admitted dangerous driving at several locations around Tullamore.

The court heard Detective Sergeant Scahill, who was in an unmarked car, had pursued Mr Moran before blocking him at Collins Lane and then getting out of his vehicle.

The Circuit Court heard how Detective Sergeant Scahill saw Mr Moran look him directly in the eye before the impact.

Civilian witnesses saw the impact and another saw Mr Moran's Audi A4 drive off towards the Clara road and recalled the driver “had his hoodie up”.

The car drove around the wrong side of a roundabout and its occupants had earlier been seen trying to cover their faces.

Another guard, Garda Niall Mullen, drove from Clara to Ballycumber and saw the Audi and recognised Mr Moran.

The car took off at high speed on the wrong side of the road and was recorded on CCTV at Flynn's in the village.

The vehicle was pursued at Leabeg but lost on the approach to Lemonaghan. Eight days later it was found and seized in Mullingar.

When Mr Moran was arrested and questioned he claimed the information the gardai had was “hearsay” and “allegations”.

“A lot of people talk a lot of sh*** about people, it's not proof of anything,” he told the gardai.

A year later he pleaded guilty to all charges when he appeared in the Circuit Court.

A victim impact statement from Detective Sergeant Scahill was read to the court and in it the guard said Mr Moran had been ruthless in his attempt to evade capture.

Judge Keenan Johnson said Mr Moran had taken the law into his own hands, used his car as a weapon and attempted to cause the garda serious injury. Along with the jail sentence Mr Moran was banned from driving for 20 years.

The six-month sentence for having edible cannabis for sale related to an offence committed on June 17, 2021 at a house on Eiscir Circle Road, Eiscir Meadows, Tullamore.

The District Court heard the drugs were worth €2,000 and Judge Andrew Cody said he believed Mr Moran knew the items were illegal drugs but nonetheless they had to be sent away for analysis and the matter came before the court on 13 occasions following a plea of not guilty by the man.

Three bench warrants had to be issued, Judge Cody noted at the time, asking how much court time had been wasted because of Mr Moran.

He noted the State had been put to the expense of having the drugs analysed and observed that Mr Moran had been given legal aid.

In addition to admitting having the drugs for sale or supply, Mr Moran pleaded guilty to damaging the front door of a house in Ballinagar, plus public drunkenness and a breach of the peace, on April 24, 2022.

Defending solicitor Patrick Martin told the District Court his client had addiction problems and had been put out of his own house.

Because of homelessness he was in accommodation in Longford and that resulted in him rarely seeing his five-year-old child.

He subsequently got a job delivering furniture and was earning €400 per week.

The solicitor also told Judge Cody that the drugs found were items that could be got in head shops in England or online.

Mr Moran had 21 previous convictions at that time, including one for a drugs offence dating back to October 2016.

This week, when he addressed the court on the question of whether or not the suspended six-month sentence would be activated, defence counsel David Nugent said Mr Moran was currently serving the sentence which had been imposed in the Circuit Court.

He had pleaded guilty to those offence and had actually been in custody since October, prior to the finalisation of the matter in the Circuit Court.

He said the man had not wasted the State any time or resources and was doing very in prison where had been attending school.

Judge Cody said he would make no order in relation to the activation of the suspended sentence.

He remarked: “If seven years doesn't teach him a lesson, nothing will.”

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Details about Mr Moran's background were given at the Circuit Court in June when Mr Nugent said the accused was a father of two who left school in Third Year.

He then worked on building sites where he mixed with adults and was “led down the path of alcohol and drugs”.

Mr Nugent said the man was drug-free in prison and studying Leaving Certificate history, and had completed other courses.

He said Mr Moran apologised to Detective Sergeant Scahill and said he was committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol free lifestyle on his release.

“He is the architect of his own demise and he certainly accepts that,” said Mr Nugent.