A former Garda and Offaly GAA star who killed a teenager in a car accident, while nearly four times the legal drinking limit has received a two-year suspended sentence and been banned from driving for life.
Patrick Spollen (38), Molesworth House, Daingean, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of 16-year-old Joseph Mulcahy on the N11 at Fassaroe Bridge, Bray, Co Wicklow on June 23rd, 1997.
Spollen, who has lived at the Cuan Mhuire drink and drug treatment centre since being charged in 1999, said:
"I'm very remorseful and it has affected me ever since. I just want to say how deeply sorry I am but I know I can never bring the boy back."
Judge Patrick McCartan described it as a terrible tragedy on both sides and evidence from the victim impact reports were that Mr Mulcahy's family were extremely traumatised resulting in his mother's relocation to Spain.
"If I was to impose a four-year jail term I don't think the Court of Criminal Appeal would have any reason to dispute my decision, especially since there is an aggravating factor of a previous conviction for drink driving," he told Spollen.
"However, if I was to send you to prison it would unravel all the good work done by Sister Concillio [at Cuan Mhuire] and I am disposed to go down a different road." He suspended the sentence for 10 years to mark the seriousness of it and ordered him not to drink in that period.
Sgt Paul Roche told Mr Bernard Condon, prosecuting, that Mr Mulcahy was travelling in a Subaru car, being driven by Brother John O'Sullivan, to his home in Bray.
Spollen was driving a Mercedes at 55 m.p.h. and veered across two lanes of the dual carriageway towards the fast lane and collided with the passenger side of the Subaru.
Sgt Roche said both cars moved on to the grassy bank in the middle of the road before Spollen's car drifted back on to the road.
When garda∅ arrived they found Spollen behind his wheel in tears saying "It was all my fault". There was a strong smell of alcohol from his breath and his speech was slurred, according to Sgt Roche.
Mr Mulcahy was declared clinically dead at the scene. Spollen had had up to eight pints of beer to drink.
Mr Richard Keane SC, for Spollen, said his client had a chronic alcohol addiction.
He had joined An Garda Siochβna in 1982. He was disqualified from driving for two years after a drink driving offence which forced him to resign from the garda∅ and this had led to the collapse of his marriage