A young man who was driving at twice the speed limit when he struck another young man causing his death has been jailed for four years and three months, and disqualified from driving for nine years.
Cameron Cooper, of Ballyneety Road, Ballyfermot in Dublin 10, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of 21-year-old Dylan Killalee Maher on 12 November 2023 outside the Red Cow Hotel on the Naas Road.
The 23-year-old also pleaded guilty to driving with no insurance, making a false report of a crime and failing to offer assistance at the scene.
Cooper was driving at around 120 km/h in a 60 km/h area when the car he was driving smashed into the back of the car in which Mr Maher had been a passenger.
Mr Maher was standing at the back of the car retrieving his coat from the boot and was killed almost instantly.
Judge Ronan Munro said Cooper's speed was "unconscionable", and worse because he knew the area was near a nightclub.
The judge said Cooper had a lethal weapon under his control and the speed he was doing guaranteed death for anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way.
Judge Munro imposed a sentence of five years and three months. He suspended the final year for a period of five years.
He told Cooper that if he breached any road traffic legislation in the five years after his release, he would find himself back in jail.
Outside court, Dylan Maher’s mother, Catherine Kilallee, called for reform of the sentences available for dangerous driving causing death.
She said they should reflect the seriousness of the crimes and offer grieving families some semblance of justice.
The court previously heard that Mr Maher was a passenger in a car being driven by his friend Jamie Brady.
Mr Brady was dropping Mr Maher and three others off at the nightclub at the Red Cow Hotel on the Naas Road at around 12:16am on the morning of 12 November 2023.
Mr Maher went to get his coat from the boot and was standing at the back of the car for 14 seconds when the car driven by Mr Cooper drove into him at speed, pinning him between the two cars.
Cooper left the scene and made a 999 call suggesting his own car had been stolen.
Two medics who were at the hotel were on the scene within seconds. They began CPR and could see Mr Maher’s legs had been severed.
The court heard Mr Maher would have lost consciousness and died almost instantly.
Cooper presented himself to a garda station two-and-a-half hours later and said he had been involved in a collision, that he had hit a pedestrian and left the scene.
He was not insured and did not have a full driving licence.
He claimed in interviews that the other car had just "appeared" and that he "panicked" and did not know anyone was hurt.
Tangible grief
Five victim impact statements were read to the court from Mr Maher’s younger siblings, his grandmother, his father’s family and his mother, Catherine Killalee.
Ms Killalee told the court her son had been six weeks from finishing his apprenticeship as an electrician when they got the phone call every parent dreaded.
She said a part of his parents died on the road that night and she had never got to say goodbye to her son.
In his sentencing, Judge Munroe said it was clear Mr Maher was deeply loved by his friends and family.
At the time of his death, he was minding his grandmother, which the judge said showed the sort of man he was.
He said the victim impact statements were eloquent and powerful as well as being very difficult to listen to and showed that despite the devastation caused by Mr Maher’s death, the love continued to flow.
The judge said the tangible grief and justified anger in the courtroom came from the deep love his family and friends had for him.
He said that he hoped some way forward could be found.
The court heard Cooper was also working as an apprentice electrician and had written a letter of apology in which he said he would never stop thinking about the life that had been lost.
He has no previous convictions.
The judge said Cooper was driving at around 120 km/h, twice the limit, and had caused catastrophic injuries to Mr Maher, who had suffered an instant and brutal death.
The fact that Cooper left the scene was "particularly distressing", the judge said.
He added the fact that he contacted emergency services not to summon assistance but to try to deflect suspicion from himself was also an aggravating factor.
Nitrous gas cannisters were found in Cooper's car, but there was no evidence that he had ingested any of this, the judge said.
There were no alcohol or drugs in Mr Maher’s system.
Judge Munro said although the case felt like a murder case, it was not such a case, and the penalty would not be a measure of the loss of Mr Maher’s life.
He said Cooper did not set out to kill someone that night, but he said his speed was unconscionable and more than twice the limit.
Also, he knew the area and knew he was near the entrance to a nightclub.
The judge said Cooper drove into a stationary car in a bus lane and was clearly not keeping a proper lookout.
The maximum sentence for the offence is ten years.
The judge set a headline sentence of seven years having considered sentences and appeals in other cases.
He said he had to give a significant discount for Cooper’s early guilty plea which reduced the sentence to five years and three months.
He then suspended a further 12 months due to Cooper’s youth and the prospect of rehabilitation.
He warned Cooper that if he breached any road traffic legislation in the five years after his release, his sentence would be reactivated. He also disqualified him from driving for nine years.
Gardaí from the public order unit were in court due to tensions between the families.
The judge praised the dignity of Mr Maher’s family during the sentencing process.
'This is not justice'
As they left the courtroom, Ms Killalee said Cooper got to say goodbye to his family, but she did not get to say goodbye to her son.
Outside, she said the process had been an incredibly difficult experience and the sentencing had provided no closure.
She said her son was a kind, caring and driven young man with a bright future ahead, adding he was a son, brother, grandson and a devoted carer to his grandmother.
His warmth and generosity left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him and his loss had left a void that could never be filled.
She said the family had been trapped in their own form of prison since the night of 12 November 2023.
Ms Killalee said the sentence had brought to light the inadequacy of the penalties for dangerous driving causing death in this country.
The maximum of ten years was not sufficient and failed to reflect the devastation caused by such crimes, she said.
Ms Kilalee said "this is not justice". She said lives were not numbers and no one should feel the weight of their loved one’s life could be trivialised by a lenient sentence.
She said the family was calling for urgent reform and wanted the laws to be brought into line with practices in Northern Ireland, where the maximum sentence is 14 years.
She also said the period of disqualification from driving should take effect only on a person’s release from prison.
She added there should be better resources, stricter enforcement and tougher penalties for dangerous driving.
Ms Killalee said she was appealing to politicians to make meaningful changes.
