A disqualified driver has been jailed for six and half years after he killed a “good Samaritan” while drink driving.
Witnesses said Desmond Collopy (29) was showing off and jerking the steering wheel before he struck Eamon Cronin, a 50-year-old bank official who had just crossed the road to try and break up a fight.
Collopy, who had six disqualification orders over him at the time, did not stop at the scene. He told the back seat passengers in his Volkswagen Golf that someone had just thrown a bottle at his car.
Collopy of Landen Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing death at North Street, Swords on August 16th, 2014. He also pleaded guilty to having no insurance, driving while disqualified and failing to stop his vehicle at the scene of an accident.
His 186 previous convictions include 148 road traffic offences and 30 disqualification orders.
Sergeant Adrian Murray told Anne Marie Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that Collopy was seen on CCTV footage that night drinking in various different establishments and drank at least nine pints of lager before drinking cocktails in Swords. He continued drinking in a B & B after killing Mr Cronin.
Mr Cronin’s widow, Jane Fitzsimons, told the court, her life had changed forever that night. She had lost the love of her life, her best friend, her lover and her beloved husband of 19 years.“It is like falling off a cliff and I was still hanging on the edge,” she said.
Judge Martin Nolan told Ms Fitzsimons she had his great sympathies and he hoped she could rebuild her life.
He said there was no doubt that Collopy drove dangerously and that he left the scene of an accident.
“He caused the death of a human being and left a gap in a family,” Judge Nolan commented. He described Mr Cronin as a “good Samaritan” who had earlier been trying to break up a fight.
He noted that Collopy should not have been driving that night as he had been disqualified many times over and his actions showed “total contempt for road traffic law”.
“His actions have led to the death of a very good man. Many people in this court will be left with a great sorrow for a substantial period of time and he is responsible for that,” Judge Nolan said, before he jailed Collopy for six and half years and disqualified him from driving for 10 years.
Sgt Murray told Ms Lawlor that Collopy bought the Golf for €5,500 that day, having given his sister’s name as the registered owner.
Various witness statements and analysis of CCTV footage showed that Collopy had up to eight pints of lager in Johnny Fox’s pub in the Dublin mountains before he went to a pub in Kinsealy where he had one drink.
He then drove to Wrights Cafe Bar in Swords where a number of people later told gardai he had been drinking cocktails. He left it with another man and two women.
The women, in witness statements, described him as showing off and jerking the steering wheel. They said music was blaring in the vehicle, he was driving in an erratic manner and one of the women said she was fearful for the safety of the other female passenger.
Sgt Murray said Collopy’s Golf collided with Mr Cronin in Swords at 3am where a number of people had gathered following the closure of a nightclub.
Collopy continued driving and ultimately went to a B&B in Palmerstown to continue drinking, having left the car in Landen Park in Ballyfermot.
He was arrested the following day for a separate public order incident but was later arrested and interviewed for causing Mr Cronin’s death.
Ms Fitzsimons told reporters outside court she felt justice had been served and she was happy with the sentence.