‘Sof t sentence makes our son’s death worse’
A GRIEVING father whose teenage son was killed by a two-time drink-driver has sharply criticised the suspended sentence handed down to the motorist.
Christy Cooper said the sentence compounded the grief and anger he and his family feel over the loss of 17-year-old cyclist Stefan.
In February, Sean Collins, 71, avoided jail time despite admitting to drink-driving and careless driving causing death.
Collins was more than twice the legal limit when he crashed into Stefan Cooper on a dark, wet evening on March 8, 2016. The sentencing court heard how Col- lins, of Rosscarbery, Co. Cork, has a previous drinkdrive conviction dating back to 2006.
After an inquest into the tragedy yesterday, Mr Cooper said: ‘We are not happy about the sentence. We have never been happy about it.
‘That sentence from the court case has just added so, so much pain to what we all feel. It just makes things worse for us.’
Yesterday in Clonakilty, Co. Cork, the inquest jury heard that Stefan was ‘propelled’ more than 39 metres into the air before he landed on the hard shoulder after Collins hit him ‘square on’ on the N71 at Barley Hill, Co. Cork.
Collins stopped some 146 metres from the point of impact and there was ‘no evidence of hard braking’, the inquest heard.
Cork County Coroner Frank O’Connell put it to collision investigator Detective Ray Sweeney that Collins had ‘carried on for an unexpected distance’ after he crashed into the teenager.
Detective Sweeney said: ‘The braking effort after the collision was slow.’
Collins answered a question from the coroner about when he saw Stefan. ‘I was driving along,’ he said. ‘It was raining. It was very dark and I saw nothing until the windscreen shattered.’
At that point Stefan’s sister ran out of court. Explaining why he was found sitting in his jeep after the crash, Collins said: ‘I was in shock. I did pull in. I just didn’t really know what I hit.’
Stefan died from multiple injuries: his neck was broken, his skull was fractured, he broke his legs and ribs, and he suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Pathologist Margaret Bolster told the family: ‘Death would have been very rapid. He would not have suffered at all.’
The jury, who were not told that Collins had taken drink when he crashed into Stefan, returned a verdict of accidental death.
After the verdict was delivered, Mr Cooper addressed the court and told the coroner: ‘Alcohol played a part in this collision and the fact that he was almost three times over the legal limit was not mentioned or brought to the attention of the jury.’
In February, Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard how Collins had 140 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood at the time of the accident. The legal limit is 50mg per 100mls of blood.
He avoided jail as his elderly wife depends on him for care and is housebound.
He was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a five-year driving ban.
At the time of the incident, Collins was travelling in his Toyota Land Cruiser between 69kph and 82kph in a 100kph zone.