2025-04-03 · Tipperary
'Lenient' sentence upheld for dangerous driver who caused 'devastating' harm to five-year-old
In the case of the Director of Public Prosecutions versus Emmett Rigney, a 22‑year‑old from Shinrone, Co Offaly, the Court of Appeal upheld a two‑year suspended sentence. Rigney was convicted of dangerous driving causing serious bodily injury after a head‑on collision with a vehicle in Ballingarry, Co Tipperary, on 14 August 2021. The crash left a five‑year‑old daughter with a severe traumatic brain injury and caused significant financial and emotional hardship for her family, including a pregnant mother who testified that the incident had a destructive impact. The original headline sentence of three and a half years was reduced to two years, suspended for two years on the condition of €10,000 compensation, and Rigney was disqualified from driving for six years.