A drunk driver who killed a four-year-boy in a head-on collision in Co. Laois has been jailed for seven and a half years.
Finbarr O’Rourke of Laurel Drive in Portlaoise had consumed between eight and ten pints of cider on the day of crash.
Through her Victim Impact Statement, Gillian Treacy tried to describe the devastation felt following the tragic loss of her son Ciaran, but no words could explain the hurt felt by losing a child to the actions of a drunk driver.
On April 17th last year, Finbarr O’Rourke got into his car after drinking up to ten pints of cider. He crashed head-on into Gillian’s car at Ballymorris, killing her 4-year-old boy and severely injuring her and Ciaran’s older brother Seán who was seven.
Today, the 40-year-old was today jailed for seven and a half years.
In passing sentence, Judge Kennan Johnson became emotional when he spoke of how a “beautiful family could be shattered in the blink of an eye.”
He said he hoped it would act as a wake-up call for anyone thinking of drink driving, and said he believes it’s time the Government looked at tougher sentences for drunk drivers convicted of dangerous driving causing death.
