The Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan has delivered a public apology to the family of hit-and-run victim Shane O’Farrell in the Dáil.
The apology follows almost 14 years of campaigning by the local family of the 23-year-old who was killed while out cycling near his home in Carrickmacross, on the 2nd of August 2011.
The driver of the car that killed Mr O’Farrell was Zigimantas Gridziuska who had a string of previous convictions, including offences for road traffic incidents, theft and drugs. Mr Gridziuska left the scene before later handing himself into gardaí. He had been a regular defendant in court sittings across the Northeast in the likes of Monaghan, Cavan, Ardee, Virginia and Carrickmacross.
At that time of Shane’s death, he had 42 previous convictions and was on bail in respect of several offences. In the January before the fatal crash, a ruling from Monaghan Circuit Court meant Gridziuska should have been in jail at the time of Mr O' Farrell's death. Instead, he remained on bail. Another prison sentence handed down in February 2011 was also not imposed.
As a result, Minister O'Callaghan confirmed today that a Senior Counsel will be appointed to examine bail laws in Ireland before reporting back with proposed changes. The Government will also set up a new bursary in the School of Law in UCD, in memory of Shane O’Farrell.
