Uncle jailed after admitting dangerous driving causing death of niece in Rathkeale

Danny 'Big Dan' O’Donoghue was coming down off an alcohol and cocaine bender when he rammed into 8ft-high screened gates that the 21-year old mother of a three-week-old baby was standing behind

Marguerita O'Rourke had given birth to her first child three weeks before she was killed, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.

A man has been jailed for five and half years with the final six months suspended, after he admitted dangerous driving causing the death of his niece, while being high on a cocktail of drink and drugs.

Danny 'Big Dan' O’Donoghue, aged 43, was coming down off an alcohol and cocaine bender when he rammed into 8ft-high screened gates, that his then 21-year old niece, Marguerita O’Rourke nee Sheridan, was standing behind.

Ms O’Rourke had given birth to her first child three weeks beforehand, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.

John Bowman, defending, had argued that O’Donoghue was “unaware” that Ms O’Rourke had been standing behind the tall screened gates.

Judge Colin Daly said it was clear that O’Donoghue “intentionally and deliberately rammed the gates” but the judge accepted that O’Donoghue had not intended to cause harm to his niece.

The judge said, however, that O’Donoghue’s “level of reckless” was “grave”.

Marguerita was a young woman, a new wife, aged just 21, and a new mother. Her son was just three weeks old, and the tragedy of her death was compounded by the fact that Danny O’Donoghue was her uncle.

“For one member of a family to cause the death of another only adds to the family’s grief,” the judge said.

Minutes prior to the fatal hit and run, O’Donoghue had had an argument with his wife and had driven away from their home in a rage.

He drove into Rathkeale town where he rammed his van into gates at his niece’s family home, at three minutes past midday, on December 21, 2024.

Ms O’Rourke, who had travelled home from the UK with her three-week-old son to spend time with her family at Christmas, was flung backwards in the impact. 

She never regained consciousness and died in hospital four hours later.

CCTV footage

The hit and run was captured on CCTV, and the grim footage was previously played in court.

The chilling screams of Ms O’Rourke’s mother, Margaret 'Dotie' Sheridan, captured on the footage, echoed sharply through the courtroom.

Detective Garda Elaine O’Keeffe, Rathkeale, previously told the court that due to ongoing “tensions” between families in the town, the ramming of properties had “become the norm”.

Ms Sheridan identified her brother as the driver of the van to investigating gardaí. 

The van had sped past her as she walked home on the day, moments before it crashed into the gates.

Detective Garda O’Keeffe said O’Donoghue was heard on the CCTV footage, screaming at Dotie Sherdian to “get out town”, as he sped away from the grim scene.

Mr O’Donoghue had no issue with his niece, however the court heard there had been tensions around the time between the O’Rourke, Sheridan, O’Donoghue families whom it was heard were interconnected through marriage.

After fleeing the scene, O’Donoghue attacked a van belonging to Patrick Sheridan, Rathkeale, and he was seen recorded on CCTV using the weapon to smash windows in the vehicle.

Mr Sheridan told gardaí he felt as if his life “flashed” before him as O’Donoghue approached him with a “3ft machete”.

Mr Sheridan said O’Donoghue told him: “I’m going to kill you, you’re dead, I’m going to sink this [machete] through your neck”.

Mr Sheridan also said O’Donoghue screamed at him, “Get your sons, bring out your sons, get your sons”, but Mr Sherdian said he did not know why O’Donoghue was angry.

Judge Daly imposed a concurrent two-and-half-year jail sentence on O’Donoghue for producing the machete.

The court heard that O’Donoghue eventually handed himself into Garda custody after spending two days on the run.

O’Donoghue pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, criminal damage, producing a machete during the course of a dispute, and failing to remain at the scene of a collision. The final charge was taken into consideration by the court.

Impact statement

Ms O’Rourke’s grieving husband, Denis O’Rourke, wrote in a victim impact statement: “Whatever feud existed between our families nothing could excuse what [O’Donoghue] did. 

"This was an attempt to terrorise my entire family and it was intimidation designed to keep us living in fear.” 

Ms O’Rourke’s heartbroken father, John Sheridan, said his daughter’s death has had “a profound and devastating effect” on him and his family.

He described Marguerita as “a kind, loving, wonderful daughter” and “a natural mother to her little son, Edward... she couldn’t wait to bring him home to us for Christmas”.

“It was going to be such a joyous time for us, instead we had to face the horrendous reality of her death,” Mr Sheridan said.

Prior to sentence being imposed, Mr Sherdian told Judge Daly he wanted O’Donoghue put behind bars as he had “used his vehicle as a weapon of destruction to cause fatal injuries to our daughter”.

Holding the accused accountable is important to my wife and me, but it is also important to our community.

A letter written by O’Donoghue and sent to his sister, the victim’s mother, said: “It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart, I’m the person who did this terrible sin, it makes me sick to my stomach.” 

O’Donoghue had six previous convictions including, dangerous driving, careless driving, disorderly conduct, failing to comply with a Garda’s directions, and causing minor bodily harm in Germany, in March 2023, for which he received a €330 fine.