A MAN who drove a high-powered BMW at a “totally reckless speed” killing two people was yesterday jailed for seven years for their manslaughter.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael White repeated the sentiments of one of the victims’ families who in a victim impact statement said there was an apparent lack of awareness of the “lethal capacity of high-powered vehicles driven at speed that unintentionally can cause death and serious injury”.
Before Trim Circuit Court was John Woods (39), Upper Fathom Road, Killeavy, Co Armagh.
Last month he was convicted at Dundalk Circuit Court of the manslaughter of Kevin O’Malley and the manslaughter of Eamonn Curran at Dowdallshill, Newry Road, Dundalk in the early hours of February 5th, 2005.
He was driving a BMW X5 SUV which hit the kerb and went out of control, colliding with a Honda Civic car before becoming airborne and landing on top of a Hyundai Accent car. Eamonn Curran, from Woodbury Gardens, Dundalk was a passenger in the Hyundai and Kevin O’Malley from Mornington, Co Meath was a passenger in the SUV.
Woods had pleaded not guilty, but the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on the manslaughter charges; they also found him guilty of breaking a red light shortly before the crash.
The judge said a seriously aggravating factor was the speed Woods was driving at speed in a built-up area. The SUV was being driven at a “totally reckless speed”, when he lost control, the judge added.
It was highly unusual for the Director of Public Prosecutions to bring a manslaughter charge relating to a fatal crash and the court has to have regard to the verdicts of the jury, he said. He added that the sentence was greater than what he would normally impose for dangerous driving causing death involving a person of previous good character.
He imposed seven-year jail terms for both manslaughter offences to run concurrently and date from February 11th, the date he was convicted. The judge disqualified him from driving for 15 years. On a third charge of breaking a red light, he imposed the maximum fine of €80.