A FATHER of two who pleaded guilty to endangering the lives of a rival family after twice ramming their vehicle, having pursued it to Tralee town centre in an ongoing feud between Traveller families, yesterday apologised to his victims, to the people of Tralee and to gardaí at his sentencing hearing at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court.
The apology, proffered in the public court by Michael Quilligan’s barrister, came on a day when jeering and shouting took place outside the courthouse as various parties were led into court.
The judge in the case described the dispute as “a human tragedy”, but said it offered no excuse for the outrage that took place in Tralee town centre last June.
Quilligan (30), of Clonmore Road, Tralee, pleaded guilty to endangerment in that he drove at speed at a car containing members of the Coffey family, ramming it, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death to Batty Coffey, Michael Coffey and Tony Coffey at James Street, Tralee on June 8th, 2009.
He also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at a roundabout on the Dingle road immediately prior to the ramming incident in the town centre. He also admitted making a false statement to gardaí by pretending the offences were committed by another person.
Sentencing yesterday, Judge Joe Matthews said the human tragedy of the unfortunate circumstances of a dispute between two families was no excuse for what happened. However, “in human terms” the incidents could be placed in the context of an ongoing dispute between families.
The judge said he accepted the genuine remorse of Michael Quilligan, and his honesty and courage in facing up to what was “essentially an outrage”. He sentenced Quilligan to three years in prison for the “most serious offence of endangerment”, but suspended half the sentence for three years.