A DRUNKEN businessman who fled the scene of an incident in which he killed a 52-year-old father of two was jailed for three years yesterday.
Jason Gormley (39), originally from Ennis, Co Clare, was arrested 16 hours after a fatal collision last year, which claimed the life of Aidan Lawless from Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
The retired schoolteacher and his wife, Cathleen, were driving home after dropping their daughter back to college in Limerick, when an Audi SUV being driven by Mr Gormley came on to the wrong side of the road.
The head-on collision occurred at about 8.15pm on October 4th, 2009, on the main Limerick to Tipperary road about 3km from Limerick city. Gormley pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Lawless, at Ahabeg, Ballysimon, Co Limerick.
At the sentencing hearing yesterday, the court heard that Gormley had been drinking since 3.20pm on the day of the crash in a pub located minutes from the scene, where he consumed about eight pints of Guinness before offering to drive a friend into Limerick city.
A motorist who came upon the fatal collision rescued Gormley and his passenger from the ’07 SUV. They fled the scene after being released, leaving Mr Lawless and his wife inside their Ford Mondeo, which was spun around by the force of the impact.
Sgt Gary Thompson of Roxboro Garda station said Gormley told the man who rescued him to “f*** off” on two occasions after he tried to stop him from leaving the scene.
Gormley fled the scene barefoot and flagged down a motorist whom he paid €50 to drive him to his home at Rathlin, Castleconnel, Co Limerick, the court heard. Once home he changed his clothes and asked his partner, Jean O’Dwyer, to drive him to her family home in Clonlara.
When gardaí later called to the home in Clonlara, Gormley fled the house without socks or shoes.
The following day at about 11.20am Sgt Adrian Whelan was driving towards Ardnacrusha village when he came upon Gormley wandering bare-chested and barefoot, carrying a T-shirt in his hand
He initially ran away but finally gave himself up and during Garda interviews admitted he was the driver of the SUV. During yesterday’s hearing, counsel for the State John O’Sullivan described Gormley as a “substantial businessman”. Previously the court heard he had business interests with in Spain and Dubai.
Gormley wept loudly as Mrs Lawless delivered a victim impact report to the court yesterday. He has a 10-month-old baby
Before imposing a three-year jail sentence, Judge Carroll Moran said the accused was unambiguously and definitely on the wrong side of the road when the fatal collision occurred. He said he had been driving with an excessive amount of alcohol at a time when it is “completely unacceptable to drink and drive”. He disqualified Gormley from driving for 20 years.