Former garda who left man to ‘die on the side of the road’ jailed for six years over fatal hit and run
A former garda who admitted dangerous driving causing the death of a hurling coach in a hit-and-run has been jailed for six years.
Michael Ball (28) was a serving member of An Garda Síochána stationed in Drogheda when the incident occurred in the early hours of St Patrick’s Day two years ago.
The defendant, of Middletown, Malin Head, Co. Donegal, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Niall MacEneaney (45) who was walking home close to where he lived when the collision occurred on the Rathmullen Road in Drogheda.
Ball also admitted failing to keep his vehicle at the scene.
He had been drinking after work and collected his car from the garda station carpark before heading to where he was staying in Donore. He struck Mr MacEneaney two minutes later.
He was suspended from duty following the incident and later resigned from the force.
Passing sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court, Judge Dara Hayes said that Ball’s behaviour fell far short of the standards of a member of An Garda Síochána or any member of society.
He had left Mr MacEneaney to “die on the side of the road, metres from his home”.
The judge said Niall MacEneaney was a talented sportsman and hurler. He coached the St Fechin’s club to two championship wins.
Judge Hayes also spoke of a “powerful” victim impact statement from Mr MacEneaney’s wife Grace Martin.
It was a monumental loss, he continued, a needless and avoidable death.
Nothing the court could do could put right the enormous loss suffered by the MacEneaney family and whatever penalty imposed could not be a measure of Mr MacEneaney’s life.
Judge Hayes said he had no doubt that Michael Ball didn’t intend to kill Mr MacEneaney but he made a choice to speed and to drink and drive with fatal consequences.
The defendant should not have been behind the wheel.
The judge remarked that the investigating gardaí did their duties that night “without fear or favour” and were to be commended.
A four-and-a-half year sentence was imposed for dangerous driving causing death, consecutive to two-and-a-half years for leaving the scene, the final 12 months suspended. The sentence was backdated to May 5 last when Ball went into custody.
He was disqualified from driving for 12 years.
Judge Hayes extended his sympathy to Mr MacEneaney’s family.
Evidence was given last month that the victim died as a result of being hit by Ball’s car on Rathmullen Road at approximately 2am on March 17, 2024.
An officer with the garda ombudsman explained that Mr MacEneaney had been walking home when he was hit by Ball’s car.
Fiosrú officer Alma Gavin said that the defendant had acknowledged drinking on the night in question and was travelling at up to twice the speed limit before the crash.
She told the court that Mr MacEneaney received catastrophic injuries from the crash and had been found to have died by the first gardai at the scene.
After discovering Ball’s licence plate down the road from the crash, the court heard investigators then went to the home in which he was “couch surfing” with garda colleagues.
The vehicle was discovered parked up a small hill, at the furthermost part of the farmyard, with the front damaged part of the car parked right up against a gate.
Inside the home at around 4.20am, she said Ball was discovered to be in a “comatose sleep” and was found to be clearly intoxicated when he was awoken.
The court heard he was cautioned and replied “I don’t know” when asked who had been driving the car.
She said he had acknowledged he had been drinking with friends after finishing work that night.
Ms Gavin said CCTV obtained in the investigation showed that he had been socialising with friends and had been drinking beer.
He returned to the garda station car park at 1.56am, got in his car and drove in the direction of Rathmullen Road.
Mr MacEneaney had been walking along the road, intending to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing.
Gardai determined that the defendant was travelling at between 107kmh and 110kmh prior to the collision and begun breaking 0.24 seconds before the impact, reducing speed to between 86kmh and 109kmh.
The speed limit on the road was 50km/h.
The road surface was wet or damp and it was foggy at the time.
In May 2024, Ball submitted a statement to gardaí through his solicitor where he acknowledged his role in the crash.
He said a male had ran across the road and it happened so suddenly he did not have a chance to avoid the crash.
He said he was “filled with remorse” and deeply regretted not stopping.
Asked by gardai why he did not stop, he said he was in “sheer panic” – adding that he had “no answer” to why he had not offered assistance to Mr McEneaney.
In a victim-impact statement, his wife Grace Martin described Mr MacEneaney as her “eternal best friend” and said her life had been “torn in half” since March 17, 2024.
She told the court: “Michael Ball stole a huge part of me when he killed my husband.”
She outlined the impact the on her life since her partner’s “senseless and preventable death”.
She said the incident had left an “enormous void in her life”.
“I never got a chance to say goodbye, I miss him everyday.
“I feel like I’m losing my mind, I’m angry, heartbroken, I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again.”
She turned to Ball, who she described as a “coward”, and asked: “What made you decide to train as a garda?”
Senior Counsel Rod O’Hanlon said that his client wrote a letter of apology.
He expressed “genuine remorse” and entered an early guilty plea.
He found the stress of dealing with feuds in Drogheda difficult to deal with.
A number of character references were handed to the court from Ball’s mother and aunt, and the mother of his daughter.