A CLARE man has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to the dangerous driving causing the death of two friends last year.
At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, Enda O'Leary (25), Ayayah, Kilmihil, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Eoin Glynn (20), Miltown Malbay, and Shane Donnellan (17), Kilmore, Knock, at Knockalough, Kilmihil, on April 15th last year.
The court was told that Mr Glynn was thrown 30.5m (100ft) from the van when it crashed into a ditch after O'Leary lost control after driving at a speed of about 145km/h (90mph) sometime after 4.30am.
There were four people in the front of the van but O'Leary initially told gardaí at the scene that only three were in the vehicle.
Emergency services arrived at the scene at about 4.55am and departed with three casualties. Mr Glynn's body was not recovered until 7.14am in a final clear-up by gardaí of the scene.
Counsel for O'Leary Brendan Nix SC said that there is no medical evidence to suggest that Mr Glynn's life could have been saved if found earlier.
O'Leary admitted to gardaí that he drank three cans of cider on the night when the four friends were at a party. A Garda accident report recorded that the van was on the wrong side of the road and was out of control for 130 metres before it hit the ditch.
The report also recorded that there were only seat belts for three people in the front seat.
The Garda report stated that if O'Leary was driving within the speed limit, he would have been able to bring the van under control after 64 metres.
Describing the case as very difficult and important, Judge Carroll Moran took into account O'Leary's good character; that he had no previous convictions and also that he had pleaded guilty at an early stage to the charge when imposing the three-year jail term.
Judge Moran said that if O'Leary had pleaded not guilty, he would have imposed a five-year jail sentence.
