A taxi driver who broke a red light, knocked down a boy (5) crossing the road and drove off without stopping has been ordered to serve one month in prison.
Salvatore Macken (64) was given a 12-month sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt but had 11 months of it suspended because of his age and medical problems. Judge Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court also banned him from driving for 10 years.
Macken (64), from St Dominic's Avenue, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, leaving the scene of an accident and failing to report the accident.
Garda Camon Ryan told Mr Paul Burns BL, prosecuting, that Macken drove his taxi through a red light in Tallaght on September 11th, 2001. Kevin Corrigan was walking across the road with the aid of a "lollipop lady" just in front of his mother, who was wheeling a pram.
Kevin was thrown into the air, and landed on the bonnet of Macken's car before being carried for 30 feet and hitting his head on the ground, the court heard.
Gda Ryan said Macken stopped about 100 yards from the scene of the accident, looked in his rear view mirror and drove off. The victim suffered injuries to his spleen and a clavicle injury to his left side. He was in hospital for a number of weeks but had now made a full physical recovery.
Mr Kieran Kelly BL, for Macken, said his client had just come from a garage where he had watched coverage of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and this might have been on his mind when he broke the lights and knocked down the young boy.
Mr Kelly said his client had brought €1,000 to court as a gesture of remorse to the Corrigan family but they were unwilling to accept the money.