Woman jailed for 14 months after running car over garda’s leg

A Co Clare mother of two with 79 convictions was jailed for 14 months, Wednesday, for having driven directly at a garda and running her car over his right leg, a court heard.

Amanda Hayes (30), with an address at Inis Ealga, Shannon, Co Clare, was also given a four-year driving ban at Limerick District Court.

Reading his victim impact statement in court, Garda Ferdia O’Halloran said one of the tyres of Ms Hayes’s car collided with his lower leg, calf and shin bone, resulting in a ligament in his right knee to “rupture”.

“Both my legs had to be operated on,” he said, explaining that surgeons took a graft from a ligament from his left leg and attached it to his right knee, which was bound with “four screws”.

Garda O’Halloran said he was concerned the injury could affect his “future career” in the force.

He said he is continuing to suffer physically, emotionally, and financially.

“I’ve been out of work for 35 weeks on basic pay and because of the actions of [the accused] I’ll be out of work for over a year at least,” he told the court.

“I’ve had to take out a loan to cover my expenses. I honestly don’t know when I will get back to normal.”

Using crutches to help him walk to the witness box, Garda O’Halloran said he had “not been able to walk properly” since the incident on July 29th, 2019, at Dock Road, Limerick.

“I’ve been left with “little or no stability in my leg”.

He recalled “collapsing to the floor in agony” after attempting to put a spoon in a dishwasher, following the incident.

He said he is no longer able to play sport or go hillclimbing, which he enjoyed on a weekly basis prior to the incident.

He complained of not being able to sleep properly due to a “constant ache” in his leg, and that he has to wear a leg brace.

The State alleged the incident took place on Dock Road, Limerick, at around 3.45pm, and that gardaí pursued Ms Hayes after her vehicle was observed by officers “acting suspiciously”.

Ms Hayes pleaded guilty to five counts of dangerous driving; one count of endangerment to Garda O’Halloran; as well as driving without insurance, tax, or a licence.

Gardaí first spotted the car at Rosbrien on the M20 driving dangerously.

Sergeant Sean Murray, prosecuting, said the car “nearly collided” with a central crash barrier on the motorway, after it “swerved”.

Gardai observed the car “weaving in and out of traffic” on Shannon Bridge, Limerick city; crossing over a continuous white line, grass margins, and a hatched line.

At several stages the car swerved dangerously towards oncoming traffic causing other road users to break suddenly.

Garda O’Halloran, who was travelling on a pedal cycle on Dock Rock stopped Ms Hayes’s car after responding to a radio call for assistance from his colleagues who were involved in the pursuit.

Sergeant Murray told the court: “Ms Hayes looked at him as he walked to her car, and suddenly she turned the car right and drove directly towards Garda O’Halloran who wasn’t lucky enough to get out of her way.”

Sgt Murray relayed a litany of Ms Hayes’s past crimes, which included theft, burglary, escaping custody, making a false report to gardaí, as well as other road traffic offences.

Ms Hayes’s solicitor, Darrach McCarthy, said he accepted Garda O’Halloran’s evidence that the accused drove “directly towards” him.

He said Ms Hayes was under the influence of intoxicants at the time. He said she “lost her mother in a road traffic incident a couple of years ago” and that this “compounded her shock” at the serious nature of Gda O’Halloran’s injuries.

Leave to appeal the sentence was granted.