A 22-year-old man who killed a schoolgirl while speeding on his uninsured motorbike has been jailed for three years by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Barry Fowler's bike was travelling at 113km/h in a 50km/h area when he struck Sarah Hanlon (15), who was thrown 32.5 metres along the road.
Fowler (22), The Crescent, Millbrook Lawns, Tallaght, Co Dublin, fled the scene on foot, prompting a three-hour search involving the Garda, air support and dog units.
The victim had been walking home from St Joseph's school with two friends when they attempted to cross the road at a recommended crossing point.
Sgt Brian Sheridan told prosecuting counsel Sean Gillane BL that Sarah suffered fatal head and neck injuries as a result of being thrown into the air at a speed of up to 78km/h before she landed on a grassy bank.
Judge Delahunt told Fowler "that there was no doubt that your speeding caused the death of Sarah Hanlon" before she sentenced him to three years in prison and disqualified him from driving for five years.
Fowler pleaded guilty to dangerous driving casing her death on May 26th, 2005, at Cheeverstown Road. He had recently bought the bike which was mechanically sound but he was not insured to drive it.
Sgt Sheridan said that witness Eamonn Harnett, who was in his Jeep, saw Fowler driving the bike along the middle of the road at speed with his body crouched in a racing position. Another witness saw Fowler overtake a car as the girl made to cross the road and then heard a "loud impact".
Sgt Sheridan said Mr Harnett then saw Fowler sitting on a nearby wall with his helmet in his hands and followed him into a housing estate when he left the scene.
Fowler had blood on his forehead and was jogging before he climbed over a wall and saw that he was being followed. He then crouched in long grass before running into dense scrub where Mr Harnett lost sight of him.
Sgt Sheridan said a large number of gardaí and a helicopter were involved in a three-hour search until a Garda dog found Fowler in heavy scrub land.
He was treated overnight in hospital for his head injury and told gardaí he could not remember what had happened between impact and being woken by the Garda dog licking his face.
He said he knew the scene of the accident was a pedestrian crossing point and was 15ft away from the concrete island on which three children were standing when the girl walked across the road.
Consultant psychologist Dr David Carey said Fowler suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and would not have been "immediately conscious" of his actions in the aftermath of the impact. He could not remember running from the scene nor hiding and experienced great remorse and tremendous guilt.
Felix McEnroy SC, for Fowler, called the incident an "extraordinary tragedy" and said the girl was "absolutely blameless". His client had five convictions for minor road traffic offences but had not consumed alcohol.