Cork woman tells dangerous driving case: 'Crash brought violent end to my dreams for a new life'

The court heard the 17-year-old defendant drove the wrong way on a motorway at speeds in excess of 170 kph forcing several other motorists to take evasive action

The 17-year-old was remanded in continuing detention to Oberstown Children's Detention Campus until February 12. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

A teenager drove a stolen car faster than 170 kilometres per hour the wrong way down the motorway near Mitchelstown causing the death of his teenaged passenger, serious injuries to others in the car, and life-changing harm to a young Cork woman driving to Dublin Airport for a new life in Australia.

Harrowing evidence at the sentencing hearing for the 17-year-old was given on Thursday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The maximum sentence on the charges is 10 years and that has to be halved because he is a juvenile. Judge Helen Boyle said there was a lot to consider and adjourned sentencing until February 12.

The fatal car crash happened on the M8 motorway in County Cork. 16-year-old Johnny Foley — the front-seat passenger in the high speed car — lost his life. 

Detective Garda John Murphy said the deceased teenager’s family opted not to make a victim impact statement. Two seriously injured boys and a less seriously injured girl travelling in the back of this car also declined to make victim statements.

Mental health occupational therapist Roisin Stakelum was on her way to Dublin Airport to fly to Australia to take up a new job there and join her sister and several friends, effectively to start a new life.

Victim impact statement

“I began my journey just after midnight on the morning of July 1, 2023. I never made it to the airport. I barely made it out of Fermoy. That crash brought a violent end to my plans, all my hard work and dreams for a new life.

“What happened that night on the motorway altered the course of my life and changed me forever. I’m haunted by the memory of the impact. Haunted by the memory of the headlights and then what seemed like an explosion. I often think of how unlucky I was to be on that particular stretch of road at that exact moment.

“I underwent an eight-hour emergency surgery… They put several titanium plates into my face to fix the fractures… Even now I am unable to fully open my mouth… I have nerve damage all over the bottom half of my face and have no sensation or altered sensation in a lot of it.

“I don’t think I fully understood the meaning of pain until this experience. 

The physical pain and suffering was excruciating. In the direct aftermath I was in so much pain I wished I had died in the crash. It was too much.

“The first time seeing my face in a mirror after the surgery, my face was so damaged and swollen and bruised I didn’t recognise my own reflection. I thought I was somebody else. That was terrifying. I couldn’t physically smile for months.” 

Worse was to come when she had to be re-admitted to hospital late last August with an intestinal obstruction and Ms Stakelum said morphine didn’t even touch the pain. “If someone gave me the option of dying or continuing to experience that pain I wouldn’t have thought twice about taking the offer of death,” she said.

“The burden of my injuries has placed strain on those closest to me, especially my parents… The emotional toll on my loved ones cannot be overstated and I am deeply saddened by the pain this has caused them.

“My future was once so certain. I knew exactly what I was going to be doing. I had it mapped out. Now I feel disconnected like I’ve been plugged out of my life. I can’t see a way back. I don’t think I’m ever going to feel like myself again… I won’t move to Australia now. That future doesn’t exist for me anymore. The physical pain, emotional distress and shattered dreams that resulted from this crash have left an indelible mark on my life.

“Being involved in a car crash where a 16-year-old boy tragically lost his life was a devastating outcome which has deeply affected me. The loss of a young life is an immense tragedy and I cannot help but feel a profound sense of sorrow for the untimely passing of this young person. 

"The weight of this tragedy serves as a reminder how fragile life is and the irreversible impact that car crashes can have. My heart goes out to the family and loved ones who grieve his loss.” 

Describing the team of medical staff as “like little angels to me”, she thanked all the CUH staff, paramedics and gardaí.

The accused, who cannot be named because he is a minor, admitted dangerous driving causing the death of Johnny Foley and three charges of dangerous driving causing serious harm to two teenage passengers in his car as well to the other motorist, Roisin Stakelum, in the two-car collision at Ballybeg, Mitchelstown, and to a count of endangerment, where other motorists had to take evasive action.

The 17-year-old was remanded in continuing detention to Oberstown Children's Detention Campus until February 12.

Case background

Detective Garda John Murphy of Fermoy Garda Station outlined the background to the case and how the juvenile and his four fellow juveniles arrived in Glanworth village at around 11.55pm on June 30, 2023, in a Toyota they had stolen in Cork City two days earlier and attempted to steal another car.

However, they were disturbed by the owner of the second car who raised the alarm and gardaí from Mitchelstown and Fermoy responded, but the juvenile did a u-turn in Glanworth village and took off at speed with the gardaí in pursuit after they activated their sirens and blue lights.

The juvenile managed to lose the gardaí around backroads near Glanworth, but after 30 minutes gardaí caught sight of the stolen car near Mitchelstown. However, the juvenile continued to try to evade the gardaí by entering and going around two roundabouts the wrong way at high speed.

Det. Garda Murphy told how at the second of these roundabouts, the juvenile drove on to the M8 motorway and headed south on the northbound lane for over six kilometres at speeds in excess of 170 kph forcing several other motorists to take evasive action.

At 00.45am, the juvenile driving the stolen Toyota southwards crashed head-on into a Kia Riva heading north being driven Ms Stakelum from Glanmire.