A 46-year-old former model who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of a mother of two had consumed 12 alcoholic drinks, which included cocktails, prosecco, wine and gin, in the hours before the crash.
Ms Sheila Dunne (50), who was described by her daughter as a “an amazing woman – worth her weight in gold”, died following a single-vehicle crash in Sarsfield Court in Glanmire, Cork, last February. Poignantly, her husband Ted had died of Covid in February 2021.
The death of Ms Dunne left their two children without any living parent. The special needs assistant was just 1.5km from her home in Glanmire when the crash occurred.
Jennifer Thomas of Oakfield View, Glanmire, Co Cork, appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday having pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Dunne on February 11th last.
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Defence counsel Tom Creed, SC, told Judge Helen Boyle that “unfounded social media rumours” and inaccurate newspaper reports had circulated in the wake of the crash. He said that “malicious rumours” had spread in Cork that the body of Ms Dunne had been moved in the vehicle.
Investigating garda Det Gda Mark Durcan confirmed there was no truth to any suggestions that Ms Thomas or any other person had moved the body of Ms Dunne following the crash.
Det Gda Durcan said that the crash occurred at 7.30pm on February 11th last at Sarsfield Court in Glanmire in Cork.
Ms Thomas had been socialising with Ms Dunne, her friend of more than 20 years, from lunchtime that day when they went for a meal at a restaurant in Douglas in the city. They went to a bar in Blackrock in Cork and then on to a bar in Glanmire before getting into Ms Thomas’s jeep.
Det Gda Durcan said that in the minutes before the crash occurred Ms Thomas fell asleep behind the wheel twice while stopped at traffic lights.
She did two U-turns in a matter of minutes and drove on the wrong side of the road at Hazelwood Road in Glanmire. She knocked down traffic cones as she drove towards Sallybrook and narrowly missed two pedestrians on the footpath.
Det Gda Durcan said Ms Thomas took a left-hand bend at Sarsfield Court in Glanmire and failed to straighten up entering a grass verge. The Bluetooth system in the car automatically called the emergency services. Speed was not a factor in the case.
Det Gda Durcan said Ms Thomas was wearing her seat belt when the crash occurred. However, Ms Dunne was not. He indicated that the impact of the crash led Ms Dunne, who was in the front-passenger seat, to fall on top of Ms Thomas. Det Gda Durcan said that roof had to be cut off the vehicle in order to extricate the women.
He said when gardaí arrived at the scene Ms Thomas was asked who was driving. She said she was and then she “got erratic” and was unable to give a definitive answer. She then said that Ms Dunne was driving as she had “more control”.
When she was shown CCTV at a later date by gardaí, Ms Thomas accepted that she was driving. She also said she had no recollection of the crash due to concussion. However, there was no medical evidence of concussion. Ms Dunne died in hospital two days after the crash.
Lilley Dunne, a 23-year-old daughter of Sheila Dunne, said in her victim impact statement that she came to court with a “shattered heart” weighed down heavily by the loss of her “rock of a mother”.
She said that she was speaking on behalf of herself and her younger brother.
Lilley Dunne said that she and her brother head already suffered the “unbearable” loss of their father, Ted, from Covid.
“Now to experience the agonising loss of Mom, feels like a cruel twist of fate that I cannot comprehend,” she said.
“This experience is what I can only describe as hell. My beautiful mom was taken from us far too soon at the young age of 50. In a car crash caused by a reckless decision made by a selfish individual. This choice has altered our lives forever.
“We spent two days at my mom’s bedside hoping for a miracle. Out of respect, I made the decision to allow Jennifer to come in to say goodbye to my mom. Knowing what I know now, my decision would have been different.”
Ms Dunne said Ms Thomas’s “malicious lies” had trickled out to “vultures” in the media.
“Compounding our grief, newspapers and social media outlets covered the story and reported that my mom was the driver of the car. Jennifer’s complete fabrication painted a picture of my mom, Sheila, that was far from the truth, sensationalising the tragedy and worsening our family suffering.”
Sheila’s mother, Esther O’Brien, said she was “heartbroken” to have lost her daughter to a drunk driver.
“This loss has not only shattered my life but has also left two precious grandchildren without their mother,” she said.
The court heard that Ms Thomas had 10 previous convictions for road-traffic offences, larceny and misuse of drugs.
Defence barrister Tom Creed, SC
said witnesses who arrived at the scene of the crash described his client as being distraught at the possibility that Ms Dunne could have died.
Mr Creed said that his client has suffered from long-term mental health difficulties and often wishes that she died during the crash. He added that Ms Thomas was hugely remorseful for her actions. Mr Creed said that his client accepted that getting behind the wheel drunk was an “outrageous” thing to do.
Judge Boyle reserved her decision in the case.
Ms Thomas was remanded in custody pending her sentencing on Thursday. She was warned that she was facing a custodial sentence.
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