A Dublin man has been found guilty of dangerous driving causing the death of a father-of-two.
Michael Jones (24) drove an Audi A3 which broke a red light at speed before crashing into the side of a Mitsubishi Colt driven by Hong Qing Qu, who later died. The collision happened around 1am on November 17, 2015 at the top of a slip road close to Blanchardstown shopping centre in west Dublin.
Jones, a roofer from Whitestown Drive, Dublin had pleaded not (NOT) guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Qu at Blanchardstown Rd. south on November 17th, 2015.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on day nine of his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after deliberating for just over two and a half hours.
As the jury left the courtroom Mr Qu’s widow stood up and bowed to the four women and eight men.
Judge Patricia Ryan remanded Jones in custody and adjourned the matter for sentencing on January 14th, of next year.
During the trial Garda Patrick McIlroy told the jury that based on factors including the angle of the impact and the places both cars ended up after the collision, he was able to determine that the Audi A3 had been travelling between 115km/h and 137km/h prior to the collision.
Gda McIlroy said that the speed limit for all roads in the area was 60km/h.
Witnesses described seeing three men “dragging” a man from the Audi after the collision and putting him into the back of a third car, a Volkswagen Passat.
Witness, Kevin Mooney told the jury that shortly before the collision he was driving home and was passed at high speed by a Passat and a silver Audi A3. He said he had gotten the impression that the cars were either racing or possibly fleeing something.
A clinical nurse manager at James Connolly Hospital said she encountered Jones on the ground outside the entrance to the emergency unit. She told the court that Jones said his name was Michael McDonagh and that his leg had been injured in a fall.
The jury heard that after the collision Mr Qu was in between the driver and passenger seat of his own car in a bad condition and was choking on his own blood.
In a statement read out in court, the deceased’s partner said that Mr Qu had called her the night of the incident to tell her that he was finished work and was on his way to the home they shared with their two children.
She said Mr Qu always rang her when he was on his way home and that there was nothing different about that night. Gardaí arrived later to tell her about the accident and brought her to the hospital where she identified the body of Mr Qu.
Judge Ryan thanked the jury members for their care and attention during the trial.