A woman who drove after drinking four pints and killed an Irish man home on holidays yesterday told Cork Circuit Criminal Court she wished it was she who had died in the fatal crash.
Linda O'Sullivan (25), from Carrigroe, Clonakilty, said she regretted every moment of drinking and driving and killing Mr Ken Murphy (32), at Goggins Hill, Ballinhassig, Co Cork on March 1st, 1998.
Mr Murphy was a front seat passenger in a car hit head on by O'Sullivan when she veered over on to the incorrect side of the road. Eyewitnesses told gardai O'Sullivan had been veering dangerously across the road moments before.
Garda Denis Ryan told the court he interviewed O'Sullivan at the scene and got a smell of alcohol from her breath. A blood sample analysis showed she had 158 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood.
The court heard O'Sullivan had been drinking earlier in Cork city and had intended staying with her sister but they had an argument. O'Sullivan stormed off and was driving back to her home in Clonakilty in west Cork when the accident happened.
O'Sullivan broke down as she told the court she would love to be able to turn back the clock but knew she couldn't. "I am so sorry - if I could turn back the clock I would," said O'Sullivan, a qualified chef.
Mr Murphy's mother, Patricia, told the court their family had been devastated by the fatal accident. Her son had been living in the United States but was at home at the time visiting them, she said.
Judge A.G. Murphy said it was a sad case but nothing he could do would ease the pain for the Murphys or O'Sullivan. "Everybody in the Murphy family and everybody in the O'Sullivan family will carry this to the grave with them."
It was a classic case of somebody being affected by drink and driving and there was no valid excuse for it.
It seemed no amount of publicity about the danger and criminality of drink driving would stop people drinking and driving.
But his job was to administer justice - not to take revenge on O'Sullivan for the Murphys or for society nor could he offer forgiveness on behalf of the Murphys or society. The offence was too grave for that.
Judge Murphy said he accepted O'Sullivan was truly devastated by the consequences of her action. "But she drove while drunk and killed someone and, in the context of road traffic offences, you can't do much worse." He jailed O'Sullivan for six years - starting on March 15th - but promised to review the case on December 2nd. He also banned O'Sullivan - who has already been convicted of drink driving - from driving for 15 years.