Woman sentenced to six years for killing man with car

A 25-year-old woman was today sentenced to six years in prison for killing a man by crushing him with her car.

Claire Nolan of Sheephill Green, Blanchardstown had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of father-of-four Michael Duffy (66) on January 26, 2008. The court had previously heard how Nolan had consumed cocaine and alcohol and “went mental”, driving her car at Mr Duffy and crushing him against the wall of his son Francis’s house.

She had admitted that she had intended to hit Francis Duffy, who has a mild intellectual difficulty, after hearing he had been seen getting in and out of her car.

Nolan had previously been tried twice for murder and the jury failed to agree on a verdict on both occasions. Last December, the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted her plea of manslaughter.

At the Central Criminal Court this morning, Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced Nolan to eight years in prison. However, taking into account her guilty plea he suspended the final two years of the sentence.

Mr Justice Carney said he had taken into account the gravity of the offence, its affect on the victims, the fact that Nolan carried out the offence with a motor car, and had been “out of control” on drink and drugs.

He also pointed out that she had fled the scene of the crime and had attempted to destroy evidence by torching the car.

Referring to Nolan’s claim that she has since turned her life around, the judge said it remained to be seen if her resolve could be maintained throughout a lengthy custodial sentence. He also ordered her to keep away from the Duffy family upon her release.

The court had previously heard that Claire Nolan, who was 21 at the time, had been attending a gathering with friends in the house next door to Francis Duffy’s on the night of January 26, 2008.

Sergeant Micheal Kennedy had told the court that Nolan had just bought a Nissan Micra and Francis Duffy “may have been seen getting in and out of it”, which caused her “to get very cross”.

Francis Duffy had a mild intellectual disability but lived an independent life. The court heard how Nolan took a baseball bat and “beleaguered Mr Duffy over the head with it”.

Francis Duffy then phoned his father and also reported the incident to Blanchardstown Garda Station. Michael Duffy arrived at his son’s home shortly afterwards.

The court was told that Claire Nolan got into her car and reversed it and made a number of manoeuvres before crashing into Michael Duffy’s taxi.

Michael Duffy ran into the front garden of his son’s house and Nolan steered her car into the metal gates and crushed him against the wall of the house. The court heard that Nolan then set fire to the car 300 yards away.

Michael Duffy was pronounced dead in hospital and the pathologist’s report said he had suffered a large trauma injury due to crushing.

Last week, the court heard Claire Nolan has 15 previous convictions including a three-year suspended sentence in the Circuit Court for possession of cocaine for sale and supply committed on January 25, 2008 - the day prior to this incident.

Mr Brendan Grehan SC, defending, previously said his client had completed a residential treatment programme for addiction and had not come to the adverse attention of the gardaí since then.

In a Victim Impact Statement, the family of Michael Duffy said they were given “an emotional life sentence” wondering if Michael suffered or was frightened.

His daughter-in-law Moira said he had paid the “ultimate price for his devotion” and “because he loved his son so much he laid down his life for him”, resulting in his death “on a cold concrete driveway”.