'Utterly lacking in merit': appeal brought by driver who left man with 'catastrophic brain injuries' is rejected

Aaron Cassidy of Cranleymore, Edgeworthstown, County Longford has lost his appeal against a five-year prison sentence imposed for dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm. The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal as "utterly lacking in merit" and "bordering on unstatable". President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham stated the original sentence was "generous" and "very lenient", and that he and his two fellow judges would have imposed a more severe penalty. However, the court declined to increase the sentence as it fell within the permissible range for the offence. Cassidy was convicted in June 2020 by Longford Circuit Criminal Court of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to a pedestrian on Main Street, Edgeworthstown in September 2017. The victim sustained catastrophic brain injuries. Cassidy was also disqualified from driving for ten years and pleaded guilty to failing to report the accident to gardaí.