A judge yesterday called for a limit to the number of driving licences issued to young people.
Judge A. G. Murphy, told the Circuit Criminal Court in Cork that safety campaigns and drink driving campaigns were all very well but they did not deal with the arrogance and confidence of youth or deal with the "it can't happen to me" syndrome.
And he said that until the law was changed many other people would suffer the same fate as that of a young lady, who lost her right leg when a car driven by a drunk crashed into her.
The judge said that many other people such as the car driver, Derek French (21), from Monessa, Sallybrook, Glanmire, would stand before the courts, full of remorse but incapable of turning back the clock, and instead facing the penalty for a very serious crime.
Judge Murphy said compensation could not do what it purported to and said that if he jailed French for a long time perhaps even one other young person might not be tempted to drive in the circumstances that French did and that one or more people would live with their bodily integrity untouched as a result.
"It is coming to the stage where the court will have to impose the maximum sentences. But I am not going to impose such a sentence because I consider society through the legislature are morally at fault for allowing this man to drive at this hour and at his age," said the Judge. The judge imposed a three-year jail sentence on French and disqualified him from driving for five years on a charge of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Ms Janet Dillon (30), a pharmacist, on November 30th last at Lower Glanmire Road, Cork. French also received a six-months concurrent sentence and disqualification on the drunk driving charge.
The judge said that he would review the sentences on November 19th.
Earlier, the court had been told by Garda Sgt Dermot Sheedy that French had been driving from the Midleton direction to the city when he lost control of the car. The court was told the car crossed four lanes of traffic, crashed into a wall, lost three of its wheels and hit Miss Dillon.
As a result of the injuries she received she had her right leg amputated from below the knee.
French, who earlier that night had attended a 50th birthday celebration for his father, was arrested at the scene and found to have an alcohol concentration of 172 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood. Miss Dillon, who appeared in court on crutches and who is bringing a civil case for damages, told the judge she was very lucky to be alive.