Mother’s plea to prosecute driver who killed her daughter refused

The DPP turned down a mother’s appeal to prosecute a teenage driver alleged to have been under the influence of cannabis when his car collided with and killed her “precious” 11-year-old daughter, a judge heard.

Barrister Noel Cosgrove told the Circuit Civil Court that Cait Quinn was struck by a car driven by then 19-year-old Ronan Byrne of Lohunda Downs, Clonsilla, Dublin, and suffered catastrophic injuries.

He said Cait had been crossing the road from a bus stop at Diswellstown Road, Castleknock, Dublin, on Aug 25, 2009, when struck by Byrne’s Nissan Pulsar car which he had been driving on a provisional licence.