Driver acquitted over death at carpark

A man has been acquitted of careless driving causing the death of a retired teacher in a shopping centre carpark following a three-day trial.

A jury at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court deliberated for just 34 minutes, finding Shane Hannafin, of 15, Kerin’s Park, Tralee, Co Kerry, not guilty.

Geraldine Murphy, aged 60, from Brosna, was killed following an incident at Manor West in Tralee on November 18, 2014.

The trial heard she was dressed in black and wearing a brown fur coat when she was struck by Mr Hannafin’s Volkswagen Passat as he was exiting the carpark near Debenham’s at around 6.30pm.

She had been walking on the roadway and not on a footpath, the court heard.

In a statement in court, Mr Hannafin said he had not seen the woman. He said he felt his car drive over some obstruction, like a curb. He could not open the door and when he exited on the passenger side, he saw a woman lying in a pool of blood with her legs underneath the car.