Crash victim had stolen car on street

THE man who died in a crash on a stolen motorcycle in Cork city on Monday night was previously caught stealing a car on the same street.

The victim, named locally as Denis Kelleher, 29, from Ardmore Avenue, Knocknaheeny was a pillion passenger when the motorcycle lost control on Leitrim St, near Murphy’s Brewery.

Four years ago, within sight of where the crash happened, he was caught in the act of hot-wiring a car. He received a suspended sentence.

Mr Kelleher had 40 criminal convictions. Recently he had been released from a two-year prison sentence for robbing a handbag from a French student.

The driver of the motorcycle survived the crash. He is understood to have been in his 20s and also lives in the Knocknaheeny area.

He received a broken leg and hip in the accident and is recovering at Cork University Hospital.

Meanwhile, Gardaí have appealed for anybody who witnessed the crash, the motorcycle being stolen or its final journey to come forward.

Superintendent Martin Shanahan said witnesses had already been interviewed, however, given the time the crash happened and the route taken he believed other people may still have to come forward.

“I would like to offer my sympathies to the family. It is very tough for any family to lose a brother or a son in any circumstance.

“We have spoke to people who were in the area but we are asking anybody who has not made contact to do so and help piece together what happened,” he said.

The engine of the powerful vehicle, a 600cc Honda, would have been loud as it left Marianville south and followed Alexandra Road towards Patrick’s Hill.

The driver and Mr Kelleher cut across the base of St Patrick’s Hill onto Richmond Hill where it turned right and went against traffic in the direction of the Statoil service station on Leitrim Street.

Here the pair turned right, in the direction of Mallow, but within 200 metres they lost control of the vehicle and crashed shortly after 10pm.

Gardaí based in Mayfield arrived within minutes, having already been deployed to respond to initial reports of a motorcycle theft.

There was no suggestion the men were being chased by the Gardaí when the crash happened.

The body has not been formally identified by his family because a postmortem cannot take place until this morning.