Woman has jail term increased for causing death of pedestrian during chase

A woman from Riverstown in County Sligo has had her custodial term increased following a successful appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions against a sentence deemed unduly lenient. The 23-year-old was convicted of dangerous driving causing the death of a pedestrian in Dundalk during October 2017. The collision occurred after the defendant threw a sauce carton into another vehicle, triggering a high-speed pursuit through the town centre. Both vehicles involved in the chase subsequently struck a 29-year-old man, resulting in his death. The defendant pleaded guilty to the offence at Dundalk Circuit Court, where the sentencing judge imposed a three-year custodial sentence with two years suspended. The Director of Public Prosecutions mounted an appeal, arguing that the original sentence represented an error in principle and was inappropriately lenient. The Court of Appeal examined the case on 26 June 2020, hearing evidence including CCTV footage of the incident and submissions from family members of the deceased. Justice George Birmingham, presiding as Court President, found that the trial judge had erred in imposing a more favourable suspension ratio than that applied to the defendant's co-accused. The appellate court determined that the additional six months of suspension were not justified by the facts and circumstances. Consequently, the Court of Appeal re-sentenced the defendant to three years imprisonment with eighteen months suspended, thereby requiring her to serve a greater proportion of her total sentence than originally ordered. The decision reflects the court's assessment that dangerous driving causing death, particularly where high-speed pursuit and recklessness contributed to the fatality, warrants custodial terms that adequately reflect the gravity of the offence and the loss caused to the victim's family.