A 25-year-old Dublin man has been sent to jail for five years for dangerous driving causing the death of a young girl in the Phoenix Park.
Ciaran Lane, of Ashington Avenue in Cabra, told gardaí he had drunk a litre of vodka and taken two grams of cocaine before his car hit Vanessa Siatka, who was almost two years old.
Judge Pat McCartan said it was as bad a case of dangerous driving as he had ever come across.
He said it was a terrible tragedy which was entirely avoidable.
Lane was sentenced to seven years in prison with the final two years suspended.
He was also banned from driving for 20 years.
Kasia Siatka and her daughter Vanessa were in the Phoenix Park on Easter Monday last year to meet friends.
The court heard it was a fine, warm evening and the park was full of people including many young people and children. Vanessa was just a month short of her second birthday.
As they returned to their car, Vanessa was hit by the car being driven by Lane.
He was driving erratically, performing handbrake turns and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Judge McCartan said Lane was in no position to even begin to consider the safety of others.
When he careered down the road, the judge said Vanessa had no chance.
The judge said it was as bad a case of dangerous driving as he had ever had to consider.
The only small mitigating factor was that Vanessa had wandered onto the road and was not on the footpath when she was hit.
He said the offence was doubly inexcusable as Lane has eight previous convictions and is also the father of a young boy of the same age.
He said he took into account his expression of deep remorse and his guilty plea.
The judge sentenced Lane to seven years with the final two years suspended on condition that he remain alcohol and drug free on his release.
He also banned him from driving for 20 years.
The judge said he acknowledged that no sentence imposed by the court could address the deep injustice created for Vanessa's parents and friends by her death.
Vanessa's father and friends were in court but the court heard her mother, Kasia, did not feel able to attend the hearing.
In a victim impact statement, she said their lives had been centred around their daughter, who was a sociable, friendly, happy and active child.
She said she saw Vanessa being hit by the car.
In one moment they were happy, playing and enjoying themselves in the park, she said. In the next, she heard loud music, a loud engine and everything happened so quickly.
She said she could not do anything but watch as her baby was taken away from her.
Every day was a nightmare and even to breath was difficult, she said.
She added that their hearts would always be broken as a part of both of them died with Vanessa.
She said she hoped that Vanessa's death would be a strong message to everyone to never drink or take drugs when driving.
After his son was led away to begin his sentence, Lane's father told Vanessa's family that he wanted to apologise to them.
