A jury has failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a Dublin mother (25) charged with murdering a father-of-four by crushing him with her car.
Claire Nolan of Sheephill Green in Blanchardstown drove into Michael Duffy and crushed him against his son’s house on January 26th, 2008. She told gardaí she meant to knock down the 66-year-old’s son, Francis Duffy.
Nolan pleaded not guilty to murdering the taxi driver in this son’s driveway on Wellview Grove, Blanchardstown, but pleaded guilty to his manslaughter. The prosecution did not accept her plea and she went on trial at the Central Criminal Court last week.
It was the second time Nolan faced trial on this charge and it was the second jury that failed to reach a verdict in the case.
Nolan, who was 21 at the time, had been drinking wine and taking drugs with friends in the house next door to Francis Duffy’s, the court heard. She said she was told this man was tampering with her car and went out to confront him.
The court was told witnesses saw her beat Francis Duffy over his head a number of times with a baseball bat. Nolan did not recall this but remembered breaking a branch off a tree in his garden. She said Francis Duffy injured her hand with a knife.
The court heard Nolan left after this fight, got into her car in the next driveway, reversed out, ramming Michael Duffy’s taxi across the road into a pillar.
She then crashed through Francis Duffy’s gates and drove into his driveway, crushing his father against the house. She told the court she was trying to knock down Francis Duffy when his father jumped in her way.
Nolan then left in her car, which was later found on fire nearby. She said she could not control her temper when drunk but did not mean to cause serious injury to anybody.
The court heard that Mr Duffy’s spine was broken in two and he died of crush injuries to his chest associated with severe, non-survivable internal injuries.
The jury of seven men and five women had deliberated for almost five hours when they returned to say they could not reach agreement.