Drunk driver who caused death of young father has sentence reduced by two years on appeal

A man from Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, has had his sentence reduced by two years following an appeal against his conviction for dangerous driving causing death. James McDonagh, aged 54, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Jonathan Gray on St Patrick's Day 2010 on the Hilly Road in Drumshanbo. McDonagh was originally sentenced to seven years imprisonment, with the final eighteen months suspended, at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Criminal Court in May 2012. The Court of Appeal has now reduced this to five years with one year suspended. The President of the Court of Appeal found that the trial judge erred in principle by beginning sentencing at the maximum point of the scale. The court noted McDonagh's guilty plea, his engagement in rehabilitation during incarceration, and positive references. However, the judges emphasised the serious nature of the offence, noting McDonagh was heavily intoxicated and had left the scene. His ten-year driving disqualification remains in effect.