Man jailed for ‘insane’ drunk driving that left teen paralysed

A passenger was paralysed for life after being catapulted through a rear window of a vehicle travelling at 160km/h in what a judge describe as an “insane” act of driving.

The driver involved, Tadhg John O’Sullivan, had over three times the legal alcohol limit.

O’Sullivan, aged 26, from 12 Dean McNamara Place, Newtownshandrum, Co Cork, was yesterday jailed for five years.

He told Cork Circuit Criminal Court: “I cannot describe how sorry I am. I wish never to drive again.”

Judge Patrick J Moran said: “It is one of these cases a judge hopes he will never have to hear. Bad is not the word; it was appalling. The speed at which you were driving, it is terrifying.

“It was approaching insanity, insane driving, coupled with alcohol. It makes it a very, very, bad case of drunk driving.”

Sergeant Kevin Joyce said the cause of the horrific crash near Charleville in north Cork was drink and speed but the driver’s decision to cut off the Honda Civic’s suspension springs to bring the body of the car closer to the ground, for aesthetic reasons, could also have contributed.

Shane Linehan was thrown out of the overturning car, and will never walk again, according to the sergeant.

Mr Linehan, who was 19 at the time of the crash on Dec 17, 2010, was in court to hear the apology from the accused.

A victim impact statement was not publicly divulged but Judge Moran, who read it, said: “The statement is quite disturbing — how this has completely changed his (Mr Linehan’s) life.”

The judge noted the young man who used to love hurling, quad-biking and walking his dogs, was now left with a calendar full of appointments with doctors and consultants.

Mr Linehan said, in the report, he now had a lot of time on his own and found life extremely difficult.

O’Sullivan had been drinking at a pub in Buttevant, Co Cork, from 7pm the previous evening until after 2am and drove with Mr Linehan and two other passengers to Charleville.

The car was being driven at 160km/h and went out of control on a bend at Ballysallagh on the outskirts of Charleville. It struck a steel street light, catapulting it 30 metres, flipping over, striking a wall, overturning two or three more times until the car came stopped on its roof after the driver and two passengers were thrown out of the car.

As well as jailing O’Sullivan for five years, the judge also disqualified him from driving for 20 years.

O’Sullivan pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm to Mr Linehan; drink driving, driving without insurance and driving a dangerously defective vehicle.

The defects included three defective tyres and the fact the suspension springs had been removed made the 19-year-old car particularly vulnerable when cornering.

At 203mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, the defendant was more than three times the then permitted alcohol level for driving.

Sgt Joyce said a person with that alcohol level would be visibly drunk.

Tim O’Leary, defending, said O’Sullivan knew he was going to jail yesterday and had instructed his legal team to say very little in mitigation of sentence.