Two young American woman are to run in the Dublin City Marathon in honour of their mother who was killed when a man lost control of his car at over 60 m.p.h.
Paul Mulvaney (22) has been jailed for one year by Judge Michael White at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for dangerous driving causing the death a year ago of Judith Martin (52) on the Carrickbrack Road in Howth, Co Dublin, where a tour coach had stopped to allow tourists to admire the scenery.
Mulvany, from Seacrest, Baldoyle, told gardaí he swerved to avoid a dog and struck her. Ms Martin's death was witnessed by one of her daughters, Jeanette, who was in court yesterday with her sister, Dina.
Garda Tadhg Mulhalley told Mr Paul Burns, prosecuting, that Mulvany's friend, who was with him, backed up this claim initially but later came forward and admitted there was no dog. He said Mulvaney, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death , was travelling at high speed and he felt he was just showing off.
Jeanette and Dina both addressed the court. "It's taken me a year to get here and now I don't know what to say to you," Jeanette told Mulvaney as she pushed back the tears. "You just made a really bad mistake. I witnessed it and I can't tell you what I see every night before I go to sleep . . . I know this hasn't been easy for you either but it will never be easy for me and my family."
Dina described her mother as a mother, a father and a best friend and there would never be any justice for her death.
After the hearing, both women announced they would run in the Dublin City Marathon on October 28th in their mother's honour, the first anniversary of her death.
Garda Mulhalley said Mulvaney came down the hill at great speed. His friend said the speedometer was at 60 and rising but one witness said he could have been doing 80 m.p.h. The car hit Ms Martin and skidded 157 ft along the footpath before hitting a wall.
His father, Mr Gerard Mulvaney, apologised to the Martin family and said there wasn't a day that went by that his son did not regret what happened. He had not driven a car since and had given up his career as a mechanic.
Mr Patrick Gageby SC, for Mulvaney, said his client was only insured in the car for three weeks before the incident but had been insured on a motorbike for five years. He had no intention of driving again. Mr Gageby said the accident had had a terrible affect on Mulvaney, not because he was in trouble but because he was responsible for another person's death.
Judge White said crimes had to be classified within certain categories of how serious the offence was and this clearly came into the medium category.He jailed Mulvaney for a year and disqualifed him from driving for 10 years.