Driver who hit garda is jailed after sentence is appealed

A BANNED driver who had taken drink and then drove his car at a garda, leaving him with ‘life changing’ issues, has been sent to jail after his original suspended sentence was deemed too lenient by the DPP.

Paul McGillion, 33, of Ard Caoin, Manorcunningham, Co. Donegal, had pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment of Garda Michael Kilcoyne, dangerous driving, drink driving, driving without insurance and driving without a valid licence in Letterkenny on July 25, 2015.

He was given a wholly suspended three-year sentence and banned him from driving by Judge Terence O’Sullivan on May 4, 2017.

But McGillion was sent to jail yesterday evening at the Court of Appeal after an application for a review of his sentence brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Giving judgment in the three-judge court, Judge Alan Mahon said gardaí had received reports of a silver sports car spinning its wheels on main street Letterkenny at about 3am on the day in question. Later, while ‘cornered’ in a lane, McGillion reversed aggressively at Garda Kilcoyne, making contact with the garda’s right upper leg.

Judge Mahon said McGillion had turned his life around since these offences were committed. He was now the ‘valued employee’ of a major multinational company working in insurance.

But, he said, the offending involving the driving of a car at one or more members of An Garda Síochána and it required a custodial sentence.

Judge Mahon, who sat with Judge George Birmingham and Judge John Edwards, said the court would impose a new three-year sentence with the final two years suspended.