‘I found myself in the graveyard trying to decide what I’d write on his headstone’

IN her victim impact statement to the court, Cathleen Lawless said Jason Gormley walked away from the crash leaving her alongside her fatally injured husband, trapped in their car with the smell of burning. She feared it would go up in flames.

She said: “I could understand somebody being frightened of approaching a vehicle with people badly injured in it, but the very least one would expect the person to get help and eventually apologise.”

Since her husband’s death, she said their home was a quiet place. “Aidan was constantly on the phone making golf arrangements, laughing at golf jokes with his friends.

“He loved such simple things, a pint in the halfway, the odd flutter, a cigarette, a read of the paper, walking with his dog and a crossword. He was healthy and active and not only had consideration for his own family but was selfless in helping other kids whether at study or teaching them to play golf at Slievenamon.

“We loved watching television together, Del Boy, Basil Fawlty, Father Ted were great favourites.

“If Aidan felt peckish, out came the frying pan for the rashers and sausages. He believed that you only got cholesterol if you searched for it.”

After 30 years’ teaching, Ms Lawless said they were looking forward to travelling as they were both retired.

“Aidan absolutely loved the sun, he could lie all day in it soaking it up. It was strange to see the sun shining brightly during the days of the funeral. Now when the sun shines, I feel so sad and lonely. I know that we will never enjoy the sun together again.”

She said her husband and their son Aidan Timothy, aged 16, were inseparable, and to this day their son could not talk about his father and was unable to visit his grave. Their daughter, Rachel blamed herself for his death because she feels that if Aidan had not insisted on driving her back to college that night, the accident would never have happened. In the weeks after the crash, Rachel had left her college course as she was unable to concentrate and needed help.

Ms Lawless said: “Aidan and I should have celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on the 27th of July, 2010, but instead of the cruise that we had spoken about, I found myself alone in the graveyard trying to decide what I would write on his headstone.

“He had a great zest for life, loved family, friends and his dog and at 52 years of age he still had a lot of living to do. As sorry as I am for my loss, I am sorriest of all for Aidan’s.”

Outside the court, Ms Lawless, a retired teacher, said her husband’s unnecessary death was caused by someone else drink-driving.

She said he was wiped off the road by somebody who did not think about it.

Ms Lawless said she was fairly pleased with the sentence and praised Limerick gardaí who had to run through ditches at night to locate the driver.