Courts / Sligo / Report
Uninsured rider who left pedestrian with life-changing injuries has license restored early, despite garda objections
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan restored the driving licence of 27‑year‑old Shane Ward early, cutting his six‑year disqualification to four years and nine months. Ward had been convicted in February 2021 of dangerous driving causing serious harm, driving without insurance and leaving the scene after striking 28‑year‑old Ms Radhika Lausin on a footpath at Drimnagh Luas. Lausin suffered a brain bleed, multiple facial fractures and a broken arm, and has undergone two operations. Ward fled the scene, later escaping on a friend's scrambler, and did not assist the investigation before pleading guilty. Despite Garda objections citing the severity of Lausin's injuries, the judge accepted Ward's rehabilitation efforts, noting his business venture and tax compliance, and ruled that the court should not impede his rehabilitation. Ward can resume driving in November 2025. The decision was made after a hearing on 3 July 2024.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Uninsured rider who left pedestrian with life-changing injuries has license restored early, despite garda objections. Charges or matters: dangerous driving causing serious harm on January 30, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 30, 2020 Incident
- February 2021 Incident
- November 2025 Hearing Or Sentence
- February 2027 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-07-03 Publication
Why: "He did not assist the investigation prior to arraignment," said Gda Kearney, adding that Ward had also come to attention after the incident because he was found with a mobile phone on him while going into prison. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: dangerous driving causing serious harm on January 30, 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Ward (27) served 18 months of a two-year sentence after he drove a motorbike down a footpath and struck a foreign student at Drimnagh Luas stop in Dublin four and a half years ago. He was sentenced to two years in prison and disqualified from driving for six years by Judge Martin Nolan in a ruling handed down in February 2021.
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