Jail for drink-drive killer of Patrick, 79

‘Family friend’ handed 9-year sentence

A DRUNKEN unlicensed and uninsured driver who killed an elderly family friend during a “furious” highspeed journey was sentenced to nine years in jail yesterday.

Caolan Maguire drove head-on into the path of 79-year-old Patrick Mcgeough’s Ford Escort.

The 20-year-old, from Clonagore, in Clones, Co Cavan, had admitted dangerous driving causing the death of the pensioner driving with excess alcohol, and causing death while unlicensed and uninsured.

He was behind the wheel of the car of his friend Kieran Smith, from Cootehill, Co Cavan, who was cleared earlier this year of aiding and abetting the dangerous driving that caused Mr Mcgeough’s death.

The high-speed journey on September 3, 2016, began in the car park of Monaghan Leisure Centre, and ended 14 miles later on a stretch of road, near Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh.

Mr Mcgeough, a retired gardener, was giving a neighbour a lift to the shops.

News of the tragic death “shook the whole community” – even more when it emerged the victim a carer for his wife Rose of 38 years – who has since passed away, was known to Maguire, who was 17 at the time, and his family. Defence lawyer James Gallagher said Maguire has suffered depression and is “reminded every single day” of the tragedy, as he has to drive past the victim’s house and the accident spot.

He described the accused at the time of the accident as having been “obviously immature, foolish and intoxicated”, and he has had to live with case “hanging over him the last three years”.

Mr Gallagher said despite the gravity of the offences, they represented “a terrible mistake resulting in the death of another person” and his remorse was “significant”.

Jailing him, Dungannon Crown Court Judge Brian Sherrard told him “it is only by sheer good fortune that others were not killed in this incident”, and despite his guilty plea and delay in the case, there were “a plethora of aggravating features” putting the case into the highest sentencing bracket.

The judge, who also described Maguire’s driving as “furious”, said he believed he had “learnt a very sorry lesson as result of this”, adding it had been a “catastrophic, one-off incident”.

He also said the accused’s family, who sobbed as he was led from court, would themselves have “hurdles to jump in relation to this very sad matter”.

Maguire was also banned from driving for five years.

TRAGIC VICTIM Patrick Mcgeough was taking friend to a shop