Music Teacher Banned from Driving After Cannabis-Laced Cake Incident Sparks Dublin Chase

A 47-year-old music teacher who inadvertently consumed a cannabis-laced cake before engaging in a dangerous late-night driving incident has been handed a two-year driving ban and fined €700 by a Dublin court.

Marta Burns appeared before the Dublin District Court, where Judge Treasa Kelly noted that the accused had completed a restorative justice programme under the Probation Service.

The court heard that the incident occurred shortly after midnight on April 29 last year at Emmet Road in Dublin. Burns, who resides in Ashbourne, Co Meath, mistook approaching Gardaí officers for robbers when they attempted to engage with her vehicle.

According to Garda Sergeant James Ward, officers from a local drug unit had observed Burns’ car parked near the Emmet Road–Spa Road junction, where she was seen interacting with another individual. Upon activating their blue lights and identifying themselves, officers approached the vehicle, which was occupied by Burns and her son.

However, Burns failed to engage with the officers and abruptly reversed her car, initiating what developed into a dangerous pursuit through nearby streets. She drove in reverse along Spa Road and onto St Vincent’s Street West before turning onto Emmet Road.

Despite repeated attempts by officers to stop her, Burns continued to evade them, at one stage reversing approximately 800 metres along Emmet Road on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic. During the incident, she collided with another occupied vehicle but failed to stop at the scene. She also narrowly avoided a collision with a bin lorry and eventually came to a halt near a public bus stop.

The court was told that Burns had contacted emergency services during the pursuit, reporting what she believed to be an attempted robbery. It was only during the call that she became aware that those pursuing her were in fact Garda officers.

Burns later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving with cannabis in her system. Her defence counsel submitted that she had unknowingly consumed a cannabis-infused cake at a social gathering earlier that evening and was unaware of its effects at the time of the incident.

The court also heard that Burns had a prior traffic conviction in Northern Ireland more than three years ago. As part of her restorative justice efforts, she had provided free music lessons and made charitable donations.

While Judge Kelly acknowledged the mitigating factors and her subsequent efforts at rehabilitation, she declined a defence request to reduce the charge to careless driving, citing the seriousness of the offence. A custodial sentence was ultimately avoided, but the court imposed a two-year disqualification from driving along with a financial penalty.