A LONGFORD woman has been sentenced to six years in prison with the final two years suspended for dangerous driving causing the deaths of two children and serious bodily harm to two others.
Mary Carberry (33), Clonguish Court, Newtownforbes, Co Longford, was the driver of a black BMW 116i that crashed into an embankment at Tinnynare in Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, on November 26th, 2007, killing her six-year-old daughter Ava and nine-year-old Michaela Logan from Kilcock, Co Kildare.
Another of her children, Faith Carberry (8), and John Logan (4) were seriously injured in the crash on the outskirts of Edgeworthstown.
Carberry had been drinking heavily on the day of the crash.
At Longford Circuit Court yesterday, Judge Desmond Hogan also gave her a concurrent sentence of six months for failing to give a blood specimen at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar and a 12-month concurrent sentence for driving a vehicle without insurance.
The judge took the fourth charge of driving without holding a driving licence into consideration.
He also disqualified Carberry from driving for life.
Garda Eric Godfrey of Granard Garda station told the court that on the night of the crash, he went to the scene at 9.45pm and found the car partially lodged in an embankment at a cul de sac on the old N4 Edgeworthstown to Longford road.
He saw Michelle Logan, the front-seat passenger of the car, and the defendant lying on the ground outside the car.
He told the court: “Mary Carberry was attempting to get up; she was quite agitated. Her speech was slurred and she was confused and asking for a cigarette.”
At this stage he got a strong smell of intoxicating liquor from her breath and clothing.
Garda Godfrey also gave the court an emotional account of seeing a child in a school uniform lying prostrate beside the crashed vehicle. He later discovered that this was Michaela Logan, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The court heard that Carberry totally denied driving the car on the night of the crash and insisted the mother of Michaela and John Logan, Michelle Logan, had been driving.
She refused to give a blood or urine sample when ordered to do so by Garda Godfrey.
The next day in Mullingar Garda station, she made a full admission of her part in the crash and admitted she had been drinking on and off that day from 2pm.
She said in the statement: “I take terrible blackouts when I drink . . . All I remember is a thump. I realised I was in an accident, I remember seeing Ava’s face.”
Judge Hogan noted that Carberry was disqualified from driving at the time of the crash and had several previous convictions including larceny, criminal damage, minor assault and drunken driving.
He also noted her serious alcohol addiction which had begun at an “astoundingly young age”.
“No matter what sentence is imposed by me, it’s not going to alleviate the pain, loss and hurt sustained by the parents of these two young girls and the injuries sustained by Faith Carberry and John Logan. I am mindful that while Ms Carberry is standing in this court as a defendant, she is also the mother of Ava Carberry who lost her life tragically as a result of her actions.”
Carberry clenched a pair of rosary beads in her hand as the judge handed down her sentence. Patrick Gageby SC made an application for the judge to backdate his client’s sentence to July 16th when Carberry first entered the Dochas Centre in Mountjoy Prison to which Judge Hogan agreed.