Wife lied to gardaí to cover for husband over car crash that injured four teens

A judge has described as “utterly bizarre” an incident where a college lecturer lied to gardaí over a car crash that hospitalised four teens.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Tom O’Donnell made his comment after hearing that Niamh Hehir, aged 47, lied to gardaí when saying that she was the sole occupant and driver of the family car that crashed on a flooded road in east Clare last year.

However, Ms Hehir made up the story to cover for her husband, Paul Collins, aged 66, who picked up four 16-year-olds “in a gesture of goodwill” during a winter storm on December 12, 2015.