DPP lodges appeal against concurrent sentence on killer of Limerick student Joe Drennan

Joe Drennan’s family said they were 'disgusted' by the sentence, and had called on the DPP to lodge an appeal against it

Joe Drennan was killed in a hit-and-run two years ago.

The mother of student journalist Joe Drennan, who was killed in a hit-and-run two years ago, said her family were informed on Wednesday morning that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has lodged an appeal against a six-and-a-half year concurrent sentence imposed on her son’s killer, on the grounds it was too lenient.

At his sentencing hearing on January 30, Kieran Fogarty, aged 21, Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick, was jailed for eight years for a shooting at a house in April 2023. The sentencing judge, Colin Daly, initially told the hearing that he was sentencing Fogarty to an additional six-and-a-half years for the fatal hit-and-run.

However, Judge Daly corrected himself during the hearing and said the hit-and-run sentence would run concurrently to the eight-year sentence, meaning Fogarty would not serve any jail time for killing Joe Drennan.

Mr Drennan’s family said they were “disgusted” by the sentence, and had called on the DPP to lodge an appeal against it arguing that the sentence should run consecutively to the other sentence.

Confirming the DPP had lodged the appeal, Joe Drennan’s mother, Marguerite Drennan, said: “Yes, it’s great news, thank God, thank God, thank God.” 

“My son, Richard, contacted us, so it is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, it’s absolutely unreal, thank God for it,” Ms Drennan said.

Ms Drennan said that regardless of the outcome of the DPP’s appeal, her family would press ahead with an online petition calling on the Government and Minister for Justice “to amend the current sentencing laws to ensure that multiple sentences for serious crimes, particularly those involving loss of life, are served consecutively rather than concurrently”.

The petition had up until Wednesday morning garnered more than 11,500 signatures since it began on February 6.

“I hope it (the appeal) will give us more of a sense of closure, please God, we just need justice for Joe, and then we have to go ahead with the petition to change the concurrent sentencing laws, so that has to go ahead as well,” Ms Drennan added.

Marguerite Drennan added: “It won’t bring Joe back, but it will help other families.” The DPP has been contacted for comment.