Man remanded in custody over fatal Cork crash

A man (37) has been remanded in custody after being charged over a road crash in north Cork last weekend in which another man died.

Iulian Lotca, who appeared at Mallow District Court on Monday morning, was charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Ihor Skokivski (29) at McCurtain Street, Fermoy, Co Cork, on Saturday, July 1st, contrary to Section 53 (1) of the Road Traffic Act 1961.

Mr Lotca, with an address care of O’Donovan Transport, Main Street, Carrigtwowhill, Co Cork, was also charged with driving with excess alcohol at McCurtain Streeton the same date.

Mr Lotca was also charged with a third offence of driving without insurance at the same location on the same occasion, contrary to Section 56 of the Road Traffic Act 1961.

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Ihor Skokivski (29), a Ukrainian living in Fermoy, was a rear-seat passenger in Mr Lotca’s car when it crashed. He suffered serious injuries and was taken to Cork University Hospital where he died on Sunday.

The driver of the other car involved in the incident, a Polish woman in her 50s, was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Det Garda Denise Fitzgerald gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that Mr Lotca made no reply to any of the three charges when they were put to him after caution.

Det Garda Fitzgerald said gardaí were objecting to bail because of the seriousness of the charges, in particular the dangerous driving causing death charge that carries a maximum of ten years in jail.

She said gardaí were also opposing bail on the grounds of the strength of the evidence including several witnesses to the two-car collision involving Mr Lotca and another car on McCurtain Street.

She said gardaí would allege that Mr Lotca was driving with excess alcohol and at excessive speed when he crossed over on to his incorrect side of the road and crashed into another car. “He was caught red-handed at the scene, and he has made full admissions at interview following his arrest including that his driving was reckless at the time of the collision,” she said.

Det Garda Fitzgerald said gardaí were further objecting to bail on the grounds that Mr Lotca, a Moldovan national, had no ties to Ireland and that gardaí feared he would abscond if granted bail.

She said he had no permanent address and his accommodation, a caravan provided by his employer at the rear of their yard in Carrigtwohill, was dependent on his employment with them.

Cross-examined by Mr Lotca’s solicitor, Daithi Ó Donnabhain, Det Garda Fitzgerald accepted Mr Lotca had expressed remorse over what happened, but she still feared he would abscond if given bail.

Speaking with the aid of an interpreter, Mr Lotca told the court he had been working with O’Donovan Transport for four years and he promised to abide by any bail terms set by the court. He said he would sign on daily at Midleton Garda station and would abide by a curfew but said he was unable to surrender his passport as it was being held by some people to whom he owed money.

Judge Colm Roberts said he fully accepted Mr Lotca was deeply remorseful over what had happened and that he would have to live with the fact he had an involvement in the death of another human being.

But the judge said he believed the charges were too serious and the evidence against Mr Lotca was too strong and he had too few ties with Ireland to give him any option but to refuse him bail.

He remanded Mr Lotca on bail to appear again at Mallow District Court on July 4th by video link while he also granted him free legal aid and assigned Mr Ó Donnabhain to represent him.

He also accepted Mr Ó Donnabhain’s suggestion that Mr Lotca receive any necessary psychiatric assistance in prison given he had expressed both shock and remorse at the death of his friend.