A retired member of the Garda Special Branch has been jailed for five years and disqualified from driving for 15 years for drunk driving causing death and serious injury.
Frank Hayes (53), pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Gordon Geary (71) and causing serious bodily harm to his wife, Mrs Joy Geary, at Enniskerry Road, Stepaside on July 24th, 2004.
Hayes, of Glengara Park, Dun Laoghaire also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm at Blackglen Road to Ms Natalie Woods and Ms Edel Halligan, to failing to stop at the scene there, and to driving while drunk.
The charges related to two incidents that happened within minutes of each other.
Judge Desmond Hogan sentenced Hayes to five years for dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Geary and a further three years to run concurrently for dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Mrs Geary, Ms Woods and Ms Halligan.
Judge Hogan said he was "mindful that no sentence that the court could impose would undo the tragedy and the harm that has been caused".
Ms Woods, who was 17 at the time, had part of her skull and brain removed by surgeons at Beaumount Hospital because of swelling within her brain.
She told Judge Hogan on December 7th last she now felt like she has "two different faces and is two different people", and felt "raw inside like a chewed bone". She said she still suffered from depression, headaches, stress, short-term memory loss and affected facial expressions.
Ms Aileen Donnelly SC, for Hayes, said the defendant wished to offer an unreserved and public apology for his behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour, although he accepted that this couldn't alter what happened.
Det Sgt Sean Campbell told the court that Ms Woods and Ms Halligan were standing at a point on the Blackglen Road when the Mercedes driven by Hayes hit them, throwing both into the air.
Witnesses heard a loud bang and turned to see the girls still in the air before they saw Hayes drive away. Mr David Kilroy along with his friend, Mr David Hunt, who were driving in the opposite direction turned and followed Hayes to the junction of Blackglen Road and Enniskerry road.
Det Sgt Campbell said both cars were stopped at a red light when Mr Hunt got out to examine Hayes's registration plate, and Mr Kilroy shouted to him that he had hit two girls and should go back.
Hayes didn't respond but broke the red light and on turning right drove at speed towards Stepaside village. He then lost control of his car, hit a wall and veered across the road into the Gearys' vehicle.
Mrs Geary was trapped in the car; her husband got out of the driver's seat and was walking around the car enquiring about his wife when he slumped to the ground. He was taken to St Vincent's hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival having suffered a heart attack.
Mrs Geary was in hospital until November that year and had to be taken to her husband's funeral on a stretcher.
Det Sgt Campbell said Hayes, who had no recollection of the crash, admitted having had wine at dinner in Stackstown Golf Club where he had played in a golf tournament.
His alcohol intake was later found to be more than the twice the legal limit, at 84 mg of alcohol for 100 ml of breath.
Hayes had one previous conviction in September 1986 and received a £40 fine for failing to stop at an accident and having a defective brake light.