Woman who used car as ‘weapon’ and ploughed into Limerick pedestrians is jailed

A motorist who ploughed into pedestrians in Limerick city last year, has been sentenced to nine years in jail with the final two years suspended, and also given a 15-year driving ban.

Chloe McNamara (21), of Sarsfield Gardens, Moyross, Limerick, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to assist a pedestrian at the scene, endangerment, assault causing harm, intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm and dangerous driving.

McNamara, who admitted having consumed drugs and alcohol on the night, was given a consecutive eight-month sentence at Limerick Circuit Court last Tuesday, after pleading guilty to possession of €3,300 worth of cannabis for sale or supply. However, she has already served this sentence due to time already spent in custody.

A number of pedestrians were seriously injured in the hit and run in the Cornmarket Row pub and nightclub quarter of Limerick last October.

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After mounting a footpath and ploughing into pedestrians, McNamara immediately left the scene in a red Audi A4.

Gardaí played video footage of the attack at a sitting of Limerick District Court in June.

Gardaí said the CCTV footage showed McNamara, who was on bail at the time for other offences, driving into a group of pedestrians from behind and leaving the scene.

The video footage also showed a number of pedestrians being flung into the air as McNamara struck them with the Audi.

Flight risk

McNamara was in custody since October after she was previously refused bail after a judge heard gardaí give evidence that she was a flight risk and they feared she would intimidate witnesses.

Garda Patricia McCormack, Henry Street Garda station, told the bail hearing that gardaí responded to a report of a “hit-and-run road traffic collision” at Cornmarket Row, Limerick city, at 1.10am on October 10th, 2021.

Garda McCormack said paramedics were already at the scene treating three injured pedestrians who were “lying on the road”.

She said the three pedestrians were taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick, including a man who sustained “serious head and spinal injuries” as well as two women who sustained “serious neck and back injuries”.

Another female pedestrian presented herself at the hospital for injuries sustained in the hit-and-run.

Garda McCormack said the CCTV footage showed a red Audi A4 entering Cornmarket Row at 1.03am and the area was busy with “a large crowd of people out socialising, and the red Audi can be seen hitting and knocking down three pedestrians”.

Gardaí discovered the Audi minutes later at Knockalisheen, on the outskirts of Moyross.

The Garda witness said “there was blood visible on the front windscreen and bonnet”.

Garda McCormack told the bail hearing she believed Ms McNamara was addicted to cannabis and was “a danger to the community” and had “no concern for other people”.

Imposing sentence, Judge Tom O’Donnell agreed with State prosecutor John O’Sullivan BL that McNamara had used her car as “a weapon”, and the judge said the victims had “no chance” on the night.

McNamara told gardaí she had wanted to drive into a person she claimed had “battered” her car on the night. Gardaí said there was no evidence to back up this claim.