A 20-YEAR-OLD woman was found not guilty of dangerous driving yesterday after a jury had heard evidence about the crash in which two young men who were rear-seat passengers in her car were killed.
Theresa Dingivan of Pearse Square, Fermoy, Co Cork, had denied dangerous driving, causing the deaths of James Sexton (19) and Michael Murphy (22), who were both killed when her car crashed into a wall at Strawhall, Fermoy, on August 5th, 2007.
Afterwards, Ms Dingivan's solicitor, John Brooks, said: "Obviously she is very relieved with the decision of the court. The events of the 5th of August will live with her unfortunately for the rest of her life. She and her family have the greatest sympathy for the Murphy and Sexton families. She is sorry she had to put them through the ordeal of the court for the last five days. Her sympathies lie with those families. It is just one terrible tragedy."
The jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that Ms Dingivan lost control of her Honda Civic and that it zigzagged along the middle of the road and crashed into the boundary wall of a house on the right side of the road before finishing up on the left side of the road.
Ms Dingivan had been socialising with her sister Brigid and friend, Cillian Smith, at the Peddlars bar in Castlelyons and had offered the two deceased young men, who were both from Castlelyons, a lift into Fermoy.
Ms Dingivan said that she had only been drinking 7-Up and the State accepted that there was zero alcohol in her blood.
