Ballina driver given suspended sentence and 10-year driving ban after fatal collision

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Keith O’Brien was sentenced at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of James Moyles in Ballina. Judge Eoin Garavan imposed a suspended prison sentence of two years and six months and disqualified O’Brien from driving for 10 years.

The court heard that Moyles was crossing Lord Edward Street with his four-year-old niece on February 20, 2024, when O’Brien’s car struck them. Moyles pushed his niece to safety and died from his injuries. The judge said the speed was too high for an urban area at dusk, while finding that the case lacked aggravating factors.

Moyles’s family said they hoped his actions would help save lives on Irish roads and urged greater care around pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.