Mrs Mary Lowry, aged 57 years, with an address at Green Road, Dundrum, Co Tipperary; latter previously a witness who was central to the Mr Moonlight murder trial, today received a fully suspended one year jail sentence and a one year driving ban.
Mrs Lowry had previously admitted to a charge of careless driving, while in control of a Volkswagen Passat motor vehicle, which had, sadly, caused the death of father-of-five, named as Mr Patrick Connolly, at around 12:45pm on December 28th, 2021 last.
The fatal collision had occurred on the N24 Waterford to Limerick road, close to an entrance to Bansha Wood, Spring House, Bansha, Co Tipperary.
Mrs Lowry wept silently in court as her barrister, Mr Pádraig de Búrca (BL), read a letter of apology penned by Mrs Lowry to the deceased man’s family, seeking their forgiveness.
The court was informed that Mrs Lowry had waited for other traffic travelling on the N24 to pass by the entrance to Bansha Woods, and on believing the coast was fully clear, turned out of the entrance onto the N24, colliding with a motorcycle being driven by Mr Connolly, latter who was carrying his son on the pillion. Both had been participating in a charity bike event.
A Garda forensic report into the collision stated that road conditions and visibility were both good on the date in question, but that Mrs Lowry had failed to yield to traffic travelling on that stretch of roadway.
This report also stated that Mr Connolly might have been more visible to Mrs Lowry, had he been wearing a high visibility jacket at the time of the tragic incident.
Senior counsel Mr Colman Cody stated that Mrs Lowry was a volunteer support worker with cancer patients and people with disabilities; herself having lost her own husband tragically to cancer, and he argued before Judge Ms Catherine Staines that jailing her would serve no real purpose.
The case concluded with Mrs Lowry thanking the judge, before leaving the court in obvious distress.
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