Ten motorists were fined just over €135,000 after dodging M50 tolls, including a driver who never paid for almost 700 journeys on the motorway.
They did not attend their scheduled Dublin District Court hearings today and Judge Anthony Halpin imposed fines ranging from €500 to €25,000 in their absence.
Eight car owners, a lorry owner and one van driver faced five sample charges for avoiding the tolls on Ireland's busiest motorway in April, August, September and October last year.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) prosecuted them after sending hundreds of warning letters.
Judge Halpin heard information about vehicle types and detailed records of outstanding charges and he noted that the motorists did not turn up in court despite getting summonses.
In each case, he heard evidence of the motorists' level of engagement with the M50 operators and vehicle ownership history.
The lowest fine for the absent defendants was €500 for a private vehicle owner who is now engaging with the motorway operator to pay what he owes.
The court heard that one car owner had used the motorway 684 times and never paid.
He and the van owner, who had 209 outstanding tolls and no payment record, were each fined €25,000.
The judge fined a woman €19,000 after noting she paid for none of her 239 journeys on the M50.
The court noted that one case involved a lorry whose owner had paid just 29 out of 142 trips on the motorway and he was fined €7,000.
The motorists were also ordered to pay the fines and €350 in costs within three months.
Prosecuting counsel Thomas Rice (instructed by Pierse Fitzgibbon Solicitors) said the cases against the ten defendants could proceed in their absence.
A TII witness confirmed each vehicle's ownership records, the number of passages, and payment history.
There was also evidence to show they were the registered owners at the time.
It also had images of all the vehicles passing the toll gantry.
The court can impose fines of up to €5,000 per charge and a six-month sentence.
However, the motorway authority's practice is to pick habitual non-payers for criminal proceedings.
The standard toll for a private car is now €3.50, which must be paid before 8pm the following day, or there is an added penalty.
Surcharges ratchet up after 56 days, followed by warning letters and court proceedings if it remains unpaid. Commercial and goods vehicle owners pay more and registered owners are liable.
The court adjourned 21 cases to settle payment with the motorway operator and about 15 were struck out due to issues with delivering their summonses or because they had cleared their tolls.
