A man (23) has been remanded on bail after he was charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of both his parents and his three-year-old son in a crash in Co Tipperary.
Thomas O’Reilly of Waller’s Lot, Cashel, Co Tipperary, was charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of his parents, Thomas snr (45) and Bridgie O’Reilly (46), and his young son, Tom, at Kingstown, Cashel, on August 29th, 2023.
Today at Cashel District Court, Garda Ray Kearns gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that, following his arrest on main street in Cashel this morning, Mr O’Reilly made no reply when the charge was put to him after caution.
Court presenter Sgt Carol O’Leary said there was no objection once Mr O’Reilly was willing to give an undertaking not to drive, and defence solicitor Katie O’Callaghan confirmed her client was consenting to the bail condition.
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Sgt O’Leary said the DPP had directed trial by indictment at Circuit Court level on the dangerous driving causing death charge and she sought an adjournment to December 19th when gardaí would be in a position to serve the book of evidence.
Judge John Brennan granted the State application and remanded Mr O’Reilly on his own bond to appear again at Cashel District Court on December 19th for service of the book of evidence.
The accused’s wife, Diane (23), was also injured in the single-vehicle incident on a back road on the outskirts of Cashel that claimed the life of Tom, the couple’s only child at the time of the crash.
The accused, Mr O’Reilly, was also the eldest son of his parents, Thomas snr and Bridgie, and the fatal crash left him and the couple’s eight other children orphaned. The youngest of Thomas snr and Bridgie’s children was eight at the time of the crash.
The fatal crash, which happened just days after four students died in a car crash in nearby Clonmel, led to a huge outpouring of grief in Cashel where hundreds attended the funeral mass for the three deceased at St John the Baptist church.
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