Court hears how man mowed down Dublin pedestrians

A Nigerian man drove down a busy pedestrianised street at 60 mph knocking down shoppers like "skittles in a bowling alley", Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

The incident happened at lunch time on Dublin's Henry Street and witnesses described a Ford Escort as turning from O'Connell Street and the engine being revved. Horrified onlookers were thrown into the air before the car plowed into the back of a yellow Siac construction van.

Sergeant Michael O'Sullivan said one witness described the scene as like a bowling alley with people being knocked over like skittles.

In total ten people required hospital treatment following the incident, with two of these described as suffering serious injuries.

Jacob Odubaju, (aged 36), from Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra, pleaded guilty to ten counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of dangerous driving causing serious harm on October 18, 2001.

Judge Elizabeth Dunne adjourned the case until October 16 so that she had time to read the ten victim impact reports, as well as a detailed psychiatric report on Odubajo. He was remanded on continuing bail.

An ashamed Odubajo got down on his knees outside the courtroom to beg for forgiveness from one of his victims, 17-year-old Paul Darigan, who had travelled up from Wexford to attend the hearing.

Mr Darigan doesn't remember the incident and suffered serious head and leg injuries, which were described as life-threatening. A brain scan discovered a contusion and there are concerns that a condition such as epilepsy could develop in the future.

He said he was in Dublin on the day with his school class to attend an open day at the Dublin Institute of Technology and was doing some shopping with friends afterwards when the incident happened.

"It was my Leaving Cert year, which will be one of the most important years of life, but I definitely feel that my study was affected because I couldn't concentrate," he told Ms Pauline Whalley BL, prosecuting.

"I used to love playing hurling, soccer and cycling but I haven't been able to play any sports since. Any time I've tried my knee just dislocates.

"My social life has also suffered because just out walking with friends and my leg hurts. I'm also very conscious of cars driving behind me and my natural reaction is to jump whenever I hear them," he added.

Mr Darigan was one of the two people who received serious injuries. The other, Spaniard Pablo Busto, who was heading back to work in Arnotts, was thrown up in the air by the speeding car, and suffered severe injuries to his left side. He has since returned to Spain.

All the other victims were treated in the Mater Hospital but their injuries were described as less serious.

Sgt O'Sullivan said the scene that greeted him on his arrival at 1.05 pm was one of people scattered around the street. Odubajo was restrained by security staff from nearby shops and arrested once the gardai had arrived.

The yellow van that was struck moved from it's position and pinned one man to the window of Roches Stores. The victim, except for a minor hand injury, left hospital that day following some medical treatment.

Sgt O'Sullivan added that Odubajo was never formally interviewed because he also required hospital treatment for a number of days.

His sister Nicola, told Mr Patrick Gageby SC, for Odubajo, that he was a quiet, gentle man who would never hurt a fly. He was seriously affected by the death of his mother, brother and grandfather in the months leading up to the incident.

His mother's death particularly hit him hard and he couldn't get home to Nigeria to attend the funeral. A video of the service she brought over to him in October was obviously very painful.

Mr Gageby described the case as very disturbing and horrifying and was the unusual grief reaction to the deaths in his family.

He added that what he did was not an act of specific malice but some kind of breakdown that he had. He had expressed genuine remorse and was throwing himself at the mercy of the court.