Courts / Galway / Report
Drunk driver who killed elderly man and injured two gardai is jailed after DPP appeal
Summary
Adrian Nestor, 44, from Keamsella, Kilcolgan, was found guilty of dangerous driving causing the death of 66‑year‑old Liam McDonnell and serious harm to Garda Sharon Casserly and Garda Peter Murtagh. He collided with a garda car near Ardrahan on 1 February 2016 while five times over the alcohol limit, with a blood alcohol level of 272 mg. Sentenced by the Galway Circuit Criminal Court to 240 hours of community service, a €1,000 fine and a four‑year driving ban, the Court of Appeal later ruled the sentence was too lenient. The DPP appealed, arguing the suspended four‑year sentence failed to reflect the seriousness of the offence. The Court of Appeal, after hearing counsel, imposed a four‑year prison term with the final two years suspended, sending Nestor to jail for the first time in this case.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Drunk driver who killed elderly man and injured two gardai is jailed after DPP appeal. Charges or matters: dangerous driving causing the death of Mr McDonnell (66) and serious harm to Garda Sharon Casserly whose injuries were described as life changing. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- February 1, 2016 Other
- 2018-07-31 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: dangerous driving causing the death of Mr McDonnell (66) and serious harm to Garda Sharon Casserly whose injuries were described as life changing (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Sentencing him to 240 hours of community service in lieu of a four-year prison sentence, Judge Rory McCabe said a four year sentence would have been appropriate but the interests of justice would not be served by sending Nestor to prison. Accordingly, Mr Justice McCarthy, who sat with President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice John Hedigan, resentenced Nestor to four years imprisonment with the final two suspended.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Galway
- Galway Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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