Since Lucia O’Farrell lost her only son in a hit-and run she has been seeking answers about how his killer was dealt with by the Irish justice system.
Shane O’Farrell was cycling near Carrickmacross when he was hit from behind by a car on August 2nd, 2011.
The driver was Zigimantas Gridziuska, a repeat criminal with convictions for theft, heroin possession, handling stolen property and road traffic offences.
Gridziuska didn’t stop; there were no brake marks on the road. He tried to conceal the car that night and waited until the following day to present himself to gardaí.
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The then 38-year-old Lithuanian national was on bail at the time of the accident in relation to five different sets of crimes. Each bail bond represented a promise to not commit crime. Yet Gridziuska committed over 25 detected crimes in the 19 months before killing the 23-year-old Monaghan man.
Gridziuska was also the subject of a court order made in January 2011, that he be brought before Monaghan Circuit Court to be jailed if he was arrested for theft offences during the following year.
Although he was convicted in Co. Louth and Co Down for theft in the three months before the hit-and-run he was not brought back before Monaghan Circuit Court. If he had, Gridziuska would likely have been in prison on August 2nd, not at the wheel of a car.
In its latest report on the story, RTÉ Investigates reveals details of an investigation by the Garda Ombudsman (GSOC) into complaints made by the O’Farrell family about the state’s handling of Gridziuska’s case.
GSOC did not find evidence that gardaí were guilty of criminal behaviour. The commission is now investigating possible disciplinary breaches.
Gridziuska never served prison time relating to the death of Mr O’Farrell - he was given suspended prison sentences for failing to remain at the scene of the accident and related offences. He was later jailed for other crimes and was deported from Ireland in 2013.
His case, says Lucia O’Farrell, represents a litany of failure by the state and highlights major weaknesses in our justice system and our bail system.
