Young man jailed for crash that killed his best friend

on the road between Carnew and Shillelagh.

State counsel Paul Murray BL said that speed was a contributory factor. He said that Prof Marie Cassidy carried out the post mortem and she said that Twamley would have been rendered unconscious immediately.

Mr Twamley’s mother Sarah Nolan, father Tom Twamley, and brother Tom Twamley Junior all furnished victim impact statements which Mr Murray read to the court.

Ms Nolan said that there has been a void in her life since Wayne’s death. She said that he lived with her and she misses the company and chats. She has been very depressed and said that the years since his death have been ‘ the most painful and stressful’ of her life.

‘Never drink and drive,’ she said. ‘If that hadn’t happened, Wayne would still be alive.’

Mr Twamley Snr described the ordeal the three surviving members of the family have endured. He said that identifying his son’s body was the hardest thing he had ever done.

‘He had hopes and dreams for the future. He will never go back to Australia as he planned. He will never get married.’

He said that Wayne was a favourite among the youngest family members and had a heart of gold.

Wayne’s brother Tom said that he learned of his brother’s death when a friend rang him that morning to offer condolences.

‘I didn’t believe my brother had been taken from us until I saw the hearse,’ he said. ‘Every morning I think “what I wouldn’t do to talk to him for just five minutes”.’

The court heard that Hickey left the scene of the crash and went home. He returned carrying a can of petrol and set the car on fire. He did ring the emergency services.

His sister, rising early to feed the horses, found him in a distressed state. She called the gardaí.

When questioned by the gardaí Hickey admitted that he was driving and had crashed the car.

He said that he tried to revive his friend before going to get help. ‘I’m very sorry for what I’ve done,’ he told gardaí. ‘I know what I done was wrong.’

The two men went to a pub in Carnew, before going to another pub in Gorey, and returning to Carnew. Hickey told gardaí he had two vodkas with orange juice, which Wayne ordered. He said that he had ordered just orange juice.

They left the pub at around 2.45 a.m. and a short time later the crash occurred.

He said that he set fire to the car later because he wanted it ‘all over with’.

The defence barrister said that the fact that the two men were the same age, born the same year, lived near each other, and were close friends, ‘ads a further sharpness to the tragedy.’

He said that Hickey’s actions in leaving the scene, returning with petrol and burning the car were borne out of panic and shock.

He did ring 999 and attempted to call a number of family members. His sister found him in a ‘ hysterical state’. He was incoherent and crying, trying to tell her he had caused the accident.

Russell Hickey took the stand to make a public apology. He said that Wayne had ‘ been like a brother’ to him.

‘I would do anything to get him back,’ he said, breaking down in the stand.

Hickey’s mother Lucy told the court that her son had had a sad life. His sister died a number of years ago and they were very close. She said that he had been diagnosed with ADHD at a young age.

Mrs Hickey sympathised with Wayne’s mother. ‘We all loved Wayne,’ she said. ‘He spent a lot of time in our house.’

She said that she know how it feels to lose a child. ‘Our hearts are broken for the Twamleys,’ she said.

‘Wayne Twamley was just so extraordinarily unlucky,’ said Judge Griffin. ‘Another time he might not have gone out. They obviously had a very good friendship. I am satisfied that there was no intention on the part of Russell Hickey to cause the crash.’

He said that the manner of driving, the speed and that there was drink taken, were all contributory factors.

He accepted that Hickey’s actions in the aftermath of the accident were due to panic.

‘It is worrying,’ he said. ‘He should have remained with his friend.

‘Having said that, I do accept that he was in a state of panic and shock.’

‘Your loss is a matter I can’t even remotely calculate,’ the judge told the Twamley family. ‘ This will continue to cause terrible distress. It’s a burden they will have to carry all their lives.’

He said that Wayne was a remarkable young man and his loss has been catastrophic and devastating for the family.

As well as the four-year sentence with 18 months suspended, Hickey was sentenced to three years for attempting to pervert the course of justice, with six months suspended, and four months for having no insurance.

He was also disqualified from driving for a period of eight years.

The defence asked if the sentence could be postponed until January for some work commitments to be adhered to. The judge heard that the grieving family would not be happy with that so he refused the application.