Guilty plea to driving charges related to death of Tralee-born psychiatrist

A CORK taxi driver will plead guilty to a number of offences arising from a hit and run in which a Kerry-born consultant psychiatrist lost his life as he walked back to his hotel in the early hours of the morning, a court has heard this week.

Denis McSweeney (74) from Pouladuff Road, Ballyphehane, in Cork is charged with four charges following a road traffic collision which claimed the life of consultant psychiatrist Dr Martin Lawlor (49) on December 15, 2018.

Mr McSweeney is charged with failing to give appropriate information to gardaí, failing to keep the vehicle at or near the occurrence, failing to report an occurrence and failing to stop his vehicle after an occurrence.

All four charges relate to an incident on the Airport Road in Cork in the early hours of December 15, 2018, in which Dr Lawlor died as he walked back to his hotel at the airport following a night socialising in Cork city.

This week when the case was called at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Mr McSweeney’s barrister, Donal O’Sullivan BL, confirmed that his client would affirm a signed plea of guilty made in Cork District Court to all four charges.

Judge Sean Ó Donnabhain noted Mr O’Sullivan’s submission, and he adjourned the case against Mr McSweeney to Cork Circuit Criminal Court for finalisation on October 20 next, and remanded him on continuing bail until that date.

Mr McSweeney was charged with the four offences when he appeared at Cork District Court in May, and Det Garda Brid Norris said he replied “Guilty” to the first two charges and made no reply to the other two when he was charged.

Last October at the South Cork Coroner’s Court, Inspector Ronan Kennelly told the inquest into the death of Traleeborn Dr Lawlor, a father of three, that gardaí had compiled a detailed file on the hit-and-run.

Coroner for South Cork Frank O’Connell heard evidence from Det Garda Norris that Dr Lawlor was walking up the Airport Road in Cork some time after 5am on December 15, 2018, when he was hit by a car.

She told the inquest that gardaí received a phone call at 5.41am on December

15 to report that there was a body on the Airport Road between Forge Hill and the entrance to the airport, and gardaí responded immediately.

Garda Jeremy O’Leary arrived at the scene at 5.45am and found the body of a man, and he found a wallet containing a driving licence which confirmed he was Dr Martin Lawlor with an address at Claramore, Millstreet, County Cork.

Dr Lawlor was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body was removed to Cork University Hospital where Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis carried out a post-mortem examination the following day.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster presented Dr Curtis’s findings at the inquest and told the court that Dr Lawlor had suffered multiple catastrophic injuries, which would have proved instantly fatal.

She said that toxicology tests showed that Dr Lawlor had a blood alcohol concentration of 156mgs of alcohol per 100mls of blood, and that the cause of death was multiple injuries consistent with a pedestrian being struck by a car.