Fifteen motorists accused of drink driving, including one who was facing two separate drink driving charges, have had their cases dismissed at Ennis District Court.
The cases were struck out as a result of a High Court judgement which ruled that the results of alcohol breath tests must be supplied in English and Irish.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is mounting a legal challenge to September's High Court ruling in a case relating to a Romanian national, in which it was declared that the results of alcohol breath tests must be supplied in both languages.
However, at Ennis District Court yesterday, Insp John Ryan admitted that the State "was in difficulty" in relation to the prosecutions.
This led Judge Patrick Durcan to dismiss the 16 cases.
He made no comment in doing so, but commenting at Kilrush District Court last week when dismissing a similar case, he said "The law of the land is as is. The matter is in for hearing today and accordingly I dismiss."
One of those to escape prosecution was a 42 year old Ennisman who the State was to allege was detected to be drink driving at Claureen, Ennis on May 5th of this year.
The State was also to allege that the man was found to be drink driving at the same location on August 11th last.
Another driver to evade prosecution yesterday was a Clare man who already had a drink driving prosecution dismissed against him at Kilrush Court on October 28th last because of the High Court ruling.
It is understood that of the 15 drivers who had their cases dismissed yesterday, one driver had three previous convictions for drink driving and four others had one previous conviction.
