Man who left woman ‘for dead’ after hit and run jailed for 3 years

A man who left a young woman "for dead" after a hit and run incident in Limerick has been jailed for three years.

Thomas Kiely, 20, of Barynakyle, Patrickswell, Co Limerick, who had 63 previous convictions — six for dangerous driving — was also banned from driving for 16 years.

The victim, Helena Wren, 28, from Tarbert, Co Kerry, was left in a wheelchair for six weeks after the crash and suffered multiple injuries including a fractured pelvis. She has also been left with one leg shorter than the other.

In her victim impact statement, read out at Limerick Circuit Court, she said Kiely left her for dead on the road.

“I don’t call it an ‘accident’ because in an accident someone would have said they were sorry,” she wrote.

She said Kiely had shown no remorse for the pain or suffering he caused.

Ms Wren — who has to wear a raised left shoe — suffers from anxiety and nightmares and flashbacks about the incident.

She avoids Limerick city centre since and does not like to talk to people about what happened.

The young woman told of how she is now getting counselling and suffers from low moods.

She said in her victim impact statement that she hoped the court hearing would bring some closure and would allow her move on in her life.

A medical report stated that she had apprehension about the future and her injuries would cause her further health problems in later life.

Kiely pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and to making a false statement to gardaí on May 18, 2012.

Ms Wren was crossing the road at 2.45am when she was hit by Kiely’s modified Nissan Almera at the junction with Bedford Row.

After his arrest, Kiely told gardaí that his car had been stolen.

However Garda Seán O’Hagan said the story was “an absolute fairytale” and the court heard how Kiely had been stopped twice by gardaí driving in Limerick before the collision.

Judge Carroll Moran said there was no justification for the speed Kiely was driving at on a busy road when people were leaving pubs.

Defence counsel Brian McInerney said his client has psychological problems and these contributed to his actions on the night.