Drunk driver in catastrophic West Cork crash gets sentence reduced

A West Cork man who was four times over the drink-driving limit when he crashed his BMW into a roundabout in Skibbereen, killing a woman and paralysing her friend, has been given a four-year jail term following an appeal.

Sean Casey, 27, of Cooragannive, Skibbereen, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Megan Johnston, 22, and causing serious bodily harm to Kate Petford, 24, who was left paralysed following the crash on April 8, 2013.

He had been sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to seven years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 30 years by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin on February 17 last year.