A DRUNKEN father of three who crashed his car into two French tourists who had only just arrived in Ireland, causing them catastrophic injuries which killed them instantly, has been given eight an eight-year sentence.
John Cash (27), who had previous convictions for dangerous driving and had been banned from driving for 20 years in 2007, told Judge Katherine Delahunt: "I am truly sorry, I will never drive again."
Cash, of Sundale Green, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Martine Talon (54) and Martine Liotard (53) at Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot on May 16th, 2007.
He also pleaded guilty to having no insurance on the same date.
Ms Talon's adult sons, Benjamin and Vincent, told Judge Delahunt that her four grandchildren still expected her to return from her trip with presents and ask if she is with the angels. They said she still had much to live for and her death had created an enormous emptiness for her family.
Cash, who drank 14 cans of cider and a bottle of whiskey before driving the car, said he prayed for the families every night and would do so for the rest of his life.
He said he was sorry for the "hardship and heartache" he had caused and said he was getting help for his substance abuse problems in prison.
Judge Delahunt expressed her condolences to the two families and said she hoped the passing of sentence would bring an element of closure to them.
She told Cash the deaths were "a result of your getting behind the wheel utterly intoxicated and having no regard to your history or that you were not allowed to drive".
She noted, however, that he was a relatively young man with a family and one who needed help with rehabilitation.
Judge Delahunt imposed an eight-year sentence on the two charges of dangerous driving causing death and a concurrent six-month term for driving without insurance. She banned Cash from driving for 15 years.
Garda Feidhlim McKenna told Seán Gillane, prosecuting, that the two women had arrived in Ireland earlier that day on a holiday with more then 50 of their co-workers from southeast France.
The two women left their hotel in Bluebell with a friend just before 11pm for an after-dinner walk along the Kylemore Road.
The women's friend saw a silver Lexus driving at speed in their direction.
It hit a wall, travelled across to their side of the road and hit her friends.
Garda McKenna said analysis of the crash scene revealed Cash had been driving at between 66.5km/h and 87km/h in a 50km/h zone in favourable driving conditions.
Garda Owen O'Rourke arrived at the scene shortly after the impact having followed the Lexus which he spotted speeding earlier. He saw one body in front of the car and found Cash in the back seat of the car. Cash gave him a false name and smelled of alcohol.
Cash was arrested and told gardaí that he had been a back-seat passenger in the car and named another person as the driver.
He refused to give urine and blood samples within the legal three-hour limit.
Cash later admitted to being the driver and told gardaí he had bought the Lexus at about 8pm that evening for €2,000. He told gardaí he had been drinking "a lot" that day and said he was sorry for the families.
Garda McKenna said Cash had 27 previous convictions including seven convictions for dangerous driving, three for drunken driving and other road traffic offences. He had been banned from driving for 20 years in 2007.
Erwan Mill-Arden SC said it was "an appalling human tragedy he will have to live with for the rest of his life".
He said Cash had drunk 14 cans of cider, a bottle of whiskey and taken numerous Prozac tablets on the day in an attempt to self-medicate his depression and had little recall of the incident.