A 75-year-old taxi driver has been jailed for four years for failing to remain at the scene of a road crash in which a Kerry-born consultant psychiatrist was killed as he walked home to his hotel from a Christmas party.
Denis McSweeney from Pouladuff Road, Ballyphehane in Cork pleaded guilty to four charges relating to a road traffic collision which claimed the life of Tralee native, Dr Martin Lawlor (49) on the Kinsale Road in Cork on December 15th 2018.
Mr McSweeney pleaded guilty to failing to give appropriate information to gardaí, failing to keep the vehicle at or near the occurrence, failing to report an occurrence and failing to stop his vehicle after an occurrence.
At Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Det Garda Brid Norris told how Dr Lawlor, who was due to catch a flight back to his home in Manchester, was walking to his hotel at the airport at around 5.30am when he was struck by a car.
Gardai stopped Mr McSweeney in his taxi driving back into Cork city after noticing damage to his car including a cracked windscreen, a broken mirror and a broken front light.
Mr McSweeney was evasive when gardai asked him how he sustained the damage to his car and he initially said that he had hit an animal but when he was arrested and questioned, he admitted hitting a pedestrian.
The court also heard from Dr Lawlor's widow, Helen and sister, Susan in Victim Impact Statements about the huge impact that his death has had on them and Susan Lawlor said the family could never forgive Mr McSweeney.
Judge Sean O Donnabhain said that what Mr McSweeney had done in driving off after hitting Dr Lawlor in his car was fundamentally wrong and the court had to mark the seriousness of the offence of leaving the scene with a custodial sentence.
He sentenced Mr McSweeney to five years in jail but suspended the final year in the light of his guilty plea, previous good record and remorse as well as his age.
