A HIT-AND-RUN driver who left two badly injured men on the side of the road was only saved from jail when one of his victims appealed for him in court.
Philip Farrelly (45) of Burrow Road, Sutton, an accountant with six children, pleaded guilty at Swords District Court to dangerous driving and a hit-and-run at Drumnigh, Portmarnock, at 4:45 a.m. on August 1st last.
Farrelly came round a corner on the wrong side of the road, and knocked over two men fixing a puncture on their car. He hit their car and knocked them over, injuring them both.
He got out of his car and spoke to them, then got back in and drove off, leaving them there. Mr Noel Murray was lying on the side of the road with a broken bone in his back. Mr Dermot Buckley was walking, but clutching his shoulder and had head injuries. They spent 19 and 10 days in hospital as a result.
They called the Garda and gave the number of Farrelly's car, and Garda Glenn Ryan found him at home. He admitted he had been at a party the night before.
Saying, "There's no excuse for this", Judge Sean Delap sentenced him to three months in jail. Then Mr Noel Murray spoke from the back of the court, saying he wouldn't like to see him go to jail. "He has a family and was fully insured. I don't think jail is the place for him," he said.
Judge Delap fined Farrelly £500 for dangerous driving and £700 for failing to stay at the scene. He disqualified him for five years and ordered him to resit his test. "He can thank the injured party that he retains his freedom," the judge said.