Singer Ronan Keating has criticised Ireland’s “broken justice system” after a 22-year-old man escaped a prison sentence for causing the death of his brother in a crash.
Ciarán Keating, who was the older brother of the former Boyzone singer, died in a car crash in Co Mayo in July 2023. His wife Annemarie was also seriously injured in the crash.
Dean Harte, from Tyrellspass in Westmeath, collided with Mr Keating’s car while driving near Swinford in July 2023.
He was given a 17 month suspended sentence at Castlebar Circuit Court in Mayo on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death, the Courts Service said.
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On the day of the crash, Ciaran and Annemarie had been travelling to watch their son Ruairí play in a football match for Cork City in Sligo.
Ronan helped carry the coffin of his brother Ciaran during his funeral in Louisburgh in July 2023.
Posting on his Instagram stories, the singer said that the sentencing was a “devastating example” of how “broken our justice system is”.
“You can kill a man ... and you can walk free. Not even a single night in prison. Just a slap on the wrist and a ticket to carry on your life, like nothing ever happened,” he said on Thursday.
“And then we wonder why we keep seeing this kind of behaviour on our roads, why people keep dying in road accidents across Ireland every week?
“It’s a joke and it’s morally corrupt that rather than trying to fix our broken system, they all turn a blind eye.
“Shame on Dean Harte but more so, shame on everyone involved in this process that contributed to the heartbreaking outcome for my family.
“The Lord himself knows the injustice that was served and the Keating family will never find peace.
“We will continue to fight for Ciaran’s justice. At this time we think of all the other families who have found themselves in our position, and we pray that other families never do.”
Ruairí Keating later posted a statement on Instagram, saying: “The Keating family are surprised and hugely disappointed with the sentence and hope and expect the DPP to appeal the lenience of it. We will be encouraging the DPP to appeal and rightfully fight for justice. Not only for Ciaran and our family, but for all of those killed on Irish roads and at the hands of someone else’s careless actions.
“The only way to stop reckless driving and encourage people (especially youth) to abide by the law, is to enforce consequences for not doing so.” – PA
