A PUBLICAN who was the driver of a car which claimed three lives in a road crash has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Kevin McArdle (29), Longfield, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, appeared in custody at the Circuit Criminal Court in Carrickmacross yesterday and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, in the wake of a three-vehicle collision last December 27th, which killed three adults and an unborn baby.
Judge John O’Hagan sentenced McArdle to four years in prison, but suspended the final year, saying he took into account the fact that he had voluntarily gone into custody after announcing his decision to plead guilty last May.
He was also “taking into account” charges against McArdle of drunken driving and driving without insurance, and he banned him from driving for 12 years.
The court heard from Garda Supt Noel Cunningham of Carrickmacross that McArdle had consumed nine pints of beer and five glasses of brandy before the crash. He was 3½ times above the limit.
Witnesses described seeing the car he was driving on the wrong side of the road after he overtook some other vehicles at speed.
The crash happened at about 6.45pm at a bypass at Moynaltybane, on the main N2 Dublin-Derry Road, 2km from Carrickmacross town.
Paul Carroll (27), Dunheeda, Kingscourt, Co Cavan, and Glenn Curtis (27), Dunroe, Nobber, Co Meath, who were travelling in a BMW with McArdle, were pronounced dead at the scene.
A third passenger, Michael Tevlin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan, sustained serious injuries.
Róisín Connolly (38), a teacher from Gracepark Road, Drumcondra, Dublin, who was five months pregnant and travelling with her husband, Stephen, in a Seat Toledo that was struck by McArdle’s car, died later at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, in Drogheda.
A team of surgeons also battled in vain to save the life of her unborn baby girl. Her husband survived the crash.
Another couple and their two young children, who were in a third car involved in the pile-up, escaped injury.
Addressing the publican to impose the four-year term, Judge O’Hagan said the clock could not be “turned back and a lot of people were bereaved, hurt and injured” by McArdle’s actions.