Cork man’s sentencing adjourned over letter from parents of drink-driving victim

The Court of Appeal has adjourned sentencing a Cork man who was four times over the drink-driving limit when he crashed his BMW into a roundabout killing a woman and paralysing her friend.

Sean Casey (27), of Cooragannive, Skibbereen, Co Cork, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Megan Johnston (22) and causing serious bodily harm to Kate Petford (24) who was left paralysed following the crash at Skibbereen on April 8th, 2013.

He was sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to seven years’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 30 years by Judge Seán O’Donnabháin on February 17th, 2014.

Casey successfully appealed against his sentence in July with the Court of Appeal finding his seven-year sentence was “out of line with other decided cases”.

He was due to be sentenced by the three-judge court yesterday.

However, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan said the court would give further time to considering the penalty it should impose on Casey in light of a letter it had just received from the parents of Ms Petford.

Impact statement Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions Lorcan Staines said the court was aware that the parents of the late Ms Johnston had previously submitted an up-to-date victim impact report and the parents of Ms Petford now wished to submit a letter also.

Mr Staines said the letter set out the changed circumstances for their daughter since sentencing.

He said Ms Petford had moved from residential care into her family home under the care of her parents with the help of the HSE and there were significant difficulties for her at home.

On the DPP’s instructions, Mr Staines said the court should be aware of those changes.

The Court of Appeal adjourned sentencing until November 17th next.