A 19-year-old man whose dangerous driving caused the death of his girlfriend, an All-Ireland-winning GAA player, was sentenced to three months in prison yesterday.
David Reilly, from Cashel, Ayle, Westport, Co Mayo, was ordered by Judge Kevin Haugh at Castlebar Circuit Court to serve three months in prison for driving without insurance and making a false declaration on a vehicle change of ownership form.
Ms Aisling McGing (18), a member of the Mayo women's GAA team, was a front-seat passenger in Reilly's Honda Civic car when it crashed near Ballyheane, Castlebar, on July 19th last. She died later in Mayo General Hospital.
The court was told that the pair were on their way to a women's GAA match in Castlebar when Reilly tried to overtake and collided with another vehicle.
On the charge of dangerous driving, which was admitted, Reilly received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
However, he was ordered to serve three months' imprisonment on charges of driving without insurance and making a false declaration on a vehicle change of ownership form.
Judge Haugh said that the charge of dangerous driving causing death was a case of a young, inexperienced driver making a wrong decision about when to overtake.
The situation with the charges on which he would serve a sentence was that he drove for two months without insurance, knowing that the car was registered in the ownership of a fictitious person. This was "cold and calculated" and was intended to obscure the trail back to him should any unwelcome event occur.
In his statement Reilly said that he and Ms McGing were going to a match in McHale Park. He was travelling at 50 m.p.h. behind another car.
He could not see any vehicle in front and thought it was safe to overtake. He indicated, increased speed and was nearly abreast of this car when he saw a vehicle approaching from the Castlebar direction.
Reilly swerved on to the grass margin to avoid the car. The other driver also took evasive action. The two cars collided. The car he collided with must have been in a dip in the road and he did not see it.
The accused had purchased the car a few months before. He never had insurance or a licence.
Judge Haugh heard that a friend of Reilly's completed his part of the change of ownership form for him. He put a false name on the form. Reilly had earlier told him that he could not get insurance as it was too expensive.
He wanted to put someone else's name on it. His friend said he did not realise at the time that he was doing wrong.
Character witnesses spoke of Reilly being popular among his peers and a hard worker who had supported his mother and younger sister following his father's death. He was quite traumatised.
Father Pat Donnellan described Ms McGing as a "beautiful young girl" and said he was aware of the devastation to both families. He was also aware of the friendship between the families before and since the accident.
Judge Haugh imposed a six-month sentence on the dangerous driving causing death charge and suspended it on condition that Reilly entered a bond to be of good behaviour for two years. He imposed two three-month sentences, to run concurrently, on the insurance and false declaration charges, and disqualified Reilly for three years from the date of the accident.