This article is from page 14 of the 2007-11-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A 25-year-old man who served time in jail in connection with a fatal road crash which claimed the life of a Lis- doonvarna man over Six years ago has had his driver’s licence restored.
Barry Richards, of Garrybeg, Loughrask, Ballyvaughan, was con- victed of dangerous driving causing the death of John Donnellan (18), from Slieve Elva, Lisdoonvarna. Mr Donnellan lost his life in an accident on the Kilrush Road in Ennis, on May 18, 2001.
He was killed when the car in
Which he was travelling collided with a parked lorry.
In July 2002, Richards was jailed for two years and banned from driv- ing for 10 years.
Richards’ barrister Lorcan Connol- ly told Ennis Circuit Court last week that his client has served time in jail and on his release, spent some time in the UK. He has since returned to tga t-biree
He said his client is particularly tal- ented in the area of woodwork and depends on others to get “from A to B” and hopes to get a licence to drive Zio) UtSe
‘He lives in a rural area without transport. At the time of the accident he was just 19 and had a full licence,” said Mr Connolly.
“A considerable period of time has elapsed. The incident attracted some notoriety at the time. He hasn’t driv- en since,’ he said.
He said his client had been a “mod- el prisoner” and “utilised his time well” in jail.
Judge Carroll Moran said Richards “has served his penalty. He has been off the road for six-and-a-half years. The State does not object to this ap- plication. He has paid his debt”.