A 29-year-old Killorglin woman has been jailed for four years for dangerous driving causing the death of a man in mid-Kerry.
Jade Moriarty of Muingaphuca, Killorglin, pleaded guilty to the charge that her dangerous driving caused the death of 68-year-old Patrick ‘Elvis’ Murphy, who had been out for a cycle on the morning of 3rd September 2023.
As well as being well above the legal alcohol limit, Ms Moriarty was driving a vehicle she was not insured on, while only on a provisional licence, when she struck Mr Murphy.
The previous night, Ms Moriarty drank a significant amount of alcohol at a pub in Killorglin and then a house party, and when she had a falling out with her then-boyfriend, she got a lift to his house between 7-8am.
When he was not there, she took the keys to his van and drove it, despite not being insured on it, only having a provisional licence, and being well in excess of the legal alcohol limit.
Within 250 metres, she struck the bicycle of Mr Murphy, who was propelled over eight metres and suffered severe brain injuries but was not killed instantly.
Ms Moriarty did not remain at the scene, and said she did not remember hitting Mr Murphy, but continued to drive 2.5km before crashing into a ditch.
Judge Ronan Munro described this as an episode of madness, and it was only by the grace of god nobody else was injured.
He noted the emotion in the courtroom, the tangible grief and anger from Mr Murphy’s family, who held up a photo of Patrick Murphy as the judge spoke this morning.
He said a car is a lethal weapon, and that morning Ms Moriarty took charge of this lethal weapon and put everyone in her path in danger.
He noted victim impact statements submitted by Mr Murphy’s family, in which he was described as well-loved, and not just a husband to his wife but her soulmate and the love of her life.
Judge Munro said Ms Moriarty's three young children are innocent victims in this, but so too was Mr Murphy, and the shrapnel from this crime goes far and wide but there’s only one perpetrator and that is Ms Moriarty.
He set a headline sentence of 7 years, but reduced this to 4 years 8 months because of mitigating factors including her early guilty plea, and he suspended the final 8 months; while she is also disqualified from driving for eight years.
