Galway Advertiser 2003/2003_09_18/GA_18092003_E1_028.pdf 

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An 18 years-old Claregalway youth was sentenced to six m o n t h s ' detention a t Galway District Court this week for dangerous driving which caused the death of a woman on the main Galway to Tuam road near Claregalway almost a year ago. The accident, he said.occurred on the broken yellow line Michael Leonard, an apprentice carpenter from and not in on the hard shoulder. He added that he did not Knockdoe, Claregalway, had pleaded guilty at an earlier want to say more as enough trauma had been caused to both court hearing to dangerous driving, causing the death of A 17 years old youth who bit a g a r d a o n t h e leg a n d would not let go until a n o t h e r the Dunleavy and Leonard families already. Mary Dunleavy, at Peak, Claregalway, on October 20 last g a r d a forced him, was sentenced to six months detention a t Galway District C o u r t Judge John Garavan said it gave him no pleasure but he year. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of drunken driving this week for what was described as a crocodile-like attack. had to impose a custodial sentence to bring it home to the on the same occasion. accused and to other drivers that they cannot drink and premises on the same date. A breath sample taken from the young motorist following Passing sentence, Judge John Garavan drive. Defending solicitor, Olivia Traynor, said the collision in which his car collided with the rear of compared the accused, Darren Nolan, 21 He agreed with Mr McDarby that the breath alcohol level Kilcornan, Clarenbridge, Galway, to a it had been an atrocious attack on Garda another car which was on the hard shoulder, showed a was low, but this had been a most horrific accident in which Feeney. She said her client's father had left reading of 42 micrograms of alcohol per 100 mis of breath. crocodile or wild animal which would cling a woman had lost her life. the family home when Nolan was 10 and he The court heard Leonard had been at a wedding earlier to a man's leg and not let go. Until quite recently, he said, Irish society had been quite had started drinking when he was 11. He that day and was on is way home at the time of the accident. Inspector Tony O'Donnell said the attack He would have seen the other car on the hard shoulder as it tolerant of drink driving but it had to be brought home to occurred when gardai were called to an old now had a serious drink problem. people that anybody who drives with drink taken, places not The week before this spate of crime let out a passenger at a house. railway embankment in the city where only their own life in jeopardy but other people's too. Nolan had gone to visit his father in Tralee His car collided with the rear of the other car moments youths were drinking and causing a He sentenced Leonard to six months detention for but they had a row and he spent the night in later and pushed it through a nearby wall before travelling disturbance. dangerous driving causing death and disqualified him from a bus shelter. on for another 123 feet before stopping. The other youths left but Nolan stayed He did not have a good relationship with Judge John Garavan noted the accused must have hit Ms driving for 10 years. and became very abusive and violent to He imposed a further three-month sentence, to run Garda Feeney and Garda Martin Costello his mother either and the night before the Dunleavy's car with great force. Defending solicitor, Michael McDarby said an engineer's concurrently, for drunken driving and fixed recognisance in who had gone to investigate the complaint. assault on Garda Feeney, she had not the event of an appeal. returned t o t h e family home and s h e report would estimate his client was travelling at around 50 He refused to give his name and when believed this had affected him too. mph. questioned about a large quantity of alcohol Dr Peter Dori Raj, psychologist, said found at the scene, said he had bought it in Nolan used alcohol as a trigger to let his Tallaght, Co Dublin. deep seated aggression out. The gardai did not believe him and when He said t h e youth came from a they went to arrest him, Nolan became particularly aggressive. A passer-by had to dysfunctional family and was particularly come to the Gardais' aid and reinforcements angry with his father. He said a custodial sentence would be of were called for. They managed to get Nolan onto the ground but he sank his teeth into no benefit, and while in prison Nolan would Garda Feeney's calf muscle and refused to learn other bad habits. Judge John Garavan said he agreed with let go. Inspector Tony O'Donnell said Garda all of this but society - and the Ggrdai - had to be protected. Feeney was in agony and the accused would He said Garda Feeney could have not let go until Sergeant Martin O'Shea was forced to throttle him thereby getting him to suffered a serious injury if an artery in his leg had been severed in such a vicious attack A caretaker in a city centre hostel was punched in the face a n d kicked in the groin by a drunken man who had release his grip. Nolan was taken to the Garda Station or he could have died if his leg had become broken the rules by inviting two girls back to his room in t h e hostel. infected. where he remained very aggressive and He then fined him 6 0 0 for breaching the peace when the Alan Stevenson (22), a native of Shercock, Co. Cayan, "Garda officers are unarmed and left violent, threatening to bite other gardai if pleaded guilty before Galway District Court this week to gardai arrived to arrest him and took a charge of being drunk completely unprotected. They feel they are they came near him. assaulting caretaker, David O'Hanlon, at Sleep Zone Hostel, in public into account. While in custody he told everyone his on their own. "I'm usually lenient but when it comes to Bother an mBan, Galway, in the early hours of June 2 last. parents had been killed in a car accident five Inspector Tony O'Donnell told the court the accused and a a vicious assault like this I'm not. Garda years ago in Tralee Meanwhile, Garda Martin Walsh, Feeney could have been maimed and society friend came to Galway on the date in question and went out drinking after booking into the hostel. needs to be protected. stationed in Oranmore had been They returned with two girls to their room at around 4 am "Nolan or nobody else can think they can investigating a spate of crime in the area and attack in such a crocodile fashion and cling and were loud and boisterous. Mr O'Hanlon went to the he interviewed Nolan while he was in like a crocodile or a wild animal to room to ask them to be quiet and reminded them of the custody. Nolan admitted breaking into someone's leg," he said sentencing Nolan to hostel rules whereby the girls in the room were not booked into the hostel and should not be there. Clarenbridge National School on July 20. six months detention for the assault. Stevenson became very aggressive and threatened to kill The judge granted leave to appeal and where several empty alcohol bottles were From found the next day. He also admitted requested that Nolan receive the appropriate Mr O'Hanlon. When the caretaker told him he had called breaking into the Oyster Manor Hotel drinks treatment, including counselling a n d the guards, Stevenson punched him in the face and kicked store on October 13 and stealing 3 7 5 addiction treatment while serving the him in the groin. Judge John Garavan said Stevenson had acted in a boorish sentence. worth of drink. Judge Garavan then adjourned all the and blackguardly manner. Nolan broke into the nearby national all final p r o o f s f o r He said it was bad enough that Mr O'Hanlon had to school on the same date and again bottles other charges to March I next year and said were found in the classrooms while he had he hoped Nolan could come to terms with endure a barrage of bad language and insults but then to be T H E R U NO F T H E PAPER kicked and punched like that was contemptible. his anger and his own trauma. also written offensive material on one of the The judge said the one thing he would not tolerate was He indicated that the remaining charges blackboards concerning a teacher in the must be completed b y would be dealt with leniently then if Nolan violence of this sort and he sentenced Stevenson to three school. months in prison, suspended for one year, plus a fine of stayed out of trouble in the meantime. He had also caused 3 0 0 worth of 600. damage and stolen 130 cash from the

Claregalway man Teenager jailed imprisoned for dangerous for crocodile-like driving causing death attack on garda's leg

Man who invited two girls back to hostel attacked caretaker

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