Phillip Smith fined and banned after woman seriously injured

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

Phillip Smith was fined €1,500 and disqualified from driving for one year at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 20 March 2024.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm. The proceedings were reported on 21 March 2024.

Smith, 86, struck a 95-year-old woman with his car on Gardiner Street on 4 August 2021. She suffered facial lacerations requiring 31 stitches and a spinal fracture, and later made a full physical recovery.

The report said CCTV showed the woman had crossed the street without looking left. The court heard Smith was travelling at 34 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, had 1.5 seconds to react and reacted in 0.8 seconds.

Smith told gardaí he did not see anything, but heard a bang and stopped immediately. His barrister, Keith Spencer BL, said Smith simply did not see the woman and described the incident as a momentary inattention. He said Smith offered a full apology, accepted responsibility and had not driven since the incident.

Judge Pauline Codd decided a custodial sentence was inappropriate. She noted the seriousness of the woman's injuries and her recovery; mitigating factors included Smith's early guilty plea, unblemished record and lack of previous convictions.