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An escaped driver who lost control of a defective car after a robbery and drove onto a trail killing one woman and seriously injuring another has been jailed for seven and a half years.
Darren Rowe (35) was tracked down on CCTV after fleeing the scene without helping the women and was heard saying to his co-defendant, “Eddie, what am I looking to do?”
The men were later seen in a pub drinking a pint and sitting with their heads in their hands.
Rowe, of Dunedin Terrace, Monkstown, Dublin pleaded guilty to dangerous driving that caused the death of Jacqueline McGovern and did not report being the driver of a vehicle involved in Audrey Behan’s injury at Avondale Road, Killiney on March 10. 2020.
He also pleaded guilty to having no insurance and driving a dangerous defective vehicle.
Rowe, who has 32 prior convictions, was also disqualified from driving at the time.
A co-defendant Edward Andrews (26) of Belarmine Hall, Stepaside received a 39-month sentence in October.
Brendan McGovern, Jacqueline’s husband, noted in his victim impact statement that the driver had not stopped to assist in any way. “This cruel and inhuman act worries me deeply,” he said.
He told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the family would never be the same again and that the loss would affect him every day for the rest of his life. He thanked the gardaí and the emergency services.
Ms. Behan explained to the court her anguish over the loss of her best friend, whose smile, she said, “would brighten the darkest rooms.” He said that the violent and reckless way Jacqueline was taken that day while out for a walk would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Behan said she still suffers physical and psychological effects from her injuries.
Judge Martin Nolan pointed to the content of other victim impact statements also provided to the court by other family members.
He said that dangerous driving that causes death is a highly elastic crime ranging from no-fault to very serious cases.
He said there were aggravating circumstances in this case, such as the fact that Rowe was driving at reckless speed and lost control, that he was trying to escape and was driving a defective vehicle.
He also noted that there was evidence that Rowe had been drinking prior to the crime. He said the court did not know how much, but it was relevant.
To mitigate it, he took into account Rowe’s remorse, work history, perception of his wrongdoing and that he is capable of reform.
Judge Nolan imposed a sentence of seven and a half years in prison.
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