Judge urged not to jail Tipperary student who crashed while driving 'like a lunatic’

A young motorist from County Tipperary who “drove like a lunatic” and crashed his car on the way home from a pub in Limerick city is due to be sentenced later this week.

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Robert Flaherty (24) of Glenconnor Road, Clonmel, has pleaded guilty to one count of endangerment, one count of criminal damage and one count of driving while intoxicated, arising from an incident in Limerick city more than two years ago.

During a sentencing hearing, prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan outlined the evidence to the court with the help of Garda Brian Hanrahan.

The court heard that on July 12, 2023, Garda Hanrahan was parked up while on a routine patrol in Limerick city.

At 12:30am, a black Audi drove past him at “very high speed” and he followed the car and indicated to the driver, later identified as Mr Flaherty, to pull in and stop.

However, this request was “completely disregarded” by Mr Flaherty, who kept driving at speed. Garda Hanrahan said he continued to follow the car as it drove along Childers Road in the direction of the city centre. However, he lost sight of the vehicle on Mulgrave Street.

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A short time later Garda Hanrahan was alerted to the fact that the car had crashed on Upper William Street and was met by a “scene of some carnage”.

The court heard that Mr Flaherty had driven the wrong way on the road in question, which is a two-lane one-way street and “one of the main streets in central Limerick”.

Mr Flaherty, the court heard, first collided with a tree on the side of the road, knocking it to the ground. Having collided with the tree, he then lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a silver Ford Focus, which was parked on the opposite side of the road.

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CCTV footage of the incident, which was played in court, showed the parked car was pushed back approximately 10 metres, before it itself knocked down a tree. Mr Flaherty continued on for a short distance before crashing into the wall of a business premises.

The parked Ford Focus also narrowly missed colliding with a pedestrian, who was walking on the footpath at the time of the incident.

This pedestrian, a woman in her 30s, provided a statement investigating gardai. She described how she had got off a bus from Cork and was walking towards her home when the crash occurred.

When asked about Mr Flaherty’s speed, she said he “never took his foot off the pedal”. She said that the tree which was knocked over by the Ford Focus nearly landed on top of her.

She described the incident as “an upsetting experience”, adding that she was bent over “almost getting sick with shock” in the aftermath.

She said that Mr Flaherty was “driving like a lunatic” and he “could’ve killed her”. She was “crying uncontrollably” before being comforted by a number of passers by.

A Brazilian couple, one of whom was the owner of the Ford Focus in question, were also at the scene. They were residents in the area and had been asleep at the time of the collision. They were awoken by a “massive bang” before going outside to see the car had been “written off”.

When Garda Hanrahan arrived at the scene, Mr Flaherty and three other young men got out of the car. When asked why he didn’t originally stop at the request of gardaí, Mr Flaherty said: “I have six penalty points and have had a few drinks.”

He was subsequently arrested and taken to Henry Street garda station in Limerick, where a blood sample was taken. Mr Flaherty was found to have 220mg of alcohol for 100ml of urine - twice the legal limit of 100mg.

The court heard that Mr Flaherty has no previous convictions and is not someone who has ever been on the garda radar.

Although he is a native of Clonmel in County Tipperary, he was an apprentice electrician and studying in Limerick at the time of the incident. He admitted to gardaí that he had panicked during the incident because he wanted to avoid being put off the road.

Garda Hanrahan said that Mr Flaherty appeared scared but was “absolutely co-operative” with gardaí.

Defence barrister Amy Nix, representing the accused, said that it was a “frightening experience for a man of his character”.

She said it was the first time her client had ever been in trouble and described it as an “anomaly”. She told the court that Mr Flaherty was travelling up and down to Limerick for his studies at the time. 

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On the day of the incident, he went to college and decided to head out with some friends after.

Garda Hanrahan described Mr Flaherty’s family as “good, hard working people” and added that he had spoken to the accused’s mother on the phone on the night of the incident.

The court heard that Mr Flaherty has now completed his studies and is working full-time as an electrician.

In her mitigation plea, Ms Nix said that her client accepts what happened was “very grave offending” which had “endangered himself, his passengers and the public”.

However, she described Mr Flaherty as “a man of good character” who would have found the experience of being questioned by gardaí “intimidating and frightening”.

The accused’s father is a farmer and he is the youngest of three children. Mr Flaherty also has a girlfriend who was present in court to support him.

Ms Nix read aloud a letter from the accused’s employer, which had been addressed to Judge Colin Daly.

The employer said that he has found Mr Flaherty to be nothing but “reliable and trustworthy”, as well as “efficient and well-mannered”.

He said he was shocked when an “embarrassed” Mr Flaherty told him about the incident, which was “totally out of character”.

The court heard that the accused has undertaken a road safety course to ensure that he drives more safely in future.

The supervisor of this course said the accused showed “honesty, insight and accountability” while completing the training.

Ms Nix appealed to Judge Daly not to impose a custodial sentence, although she had admitted that the “writing was on the wall” for her client when it comes to a disqualification.

Judge Daly said that he had “a lot to consider” and adjourned the case for sentencing on December 4.