Meath man who fatally injured teenager looks for restoration of driving licence after 20 year ban

Sonya McLean

A MAN who was previously disqualified from driving for 20 years when he fatally injured a 14-year-old boy in a hit-and-run has applied for the restoration of his driving license.

Ruadhan Tracey (44), of Lagore Green, Dunshaughlin, Meath, received a 20-month sentence in 2014 after he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to careless driving causing the death of Conor Hickey at Faussagh Road, in Cabra, on December 2, 2011. He also admitted a charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

The maximum penalty available to the court was two years and the maximum penalty available for leaving the scene of an accident was 16 months.

Detective Garda Jonathan Brady confirmed that Conor Hickey’s family and the gardaí are opposed to the restoration of Tracey’s driving license.

At that 2014 sentence hearing, then Judge Mary Ellen Ring said she was bound by the legislation before she imposed the prison term and disqualified Tracey from driving for 20 years.

Today (Wednesday 28th January) Pieter Le Vert BL prosecuting outlined the evidence heard in the previous sentence hearing.

He said Tracey admitted that he had borrowed his girlfriend’s car that day and he and a friend had driven into the city to buy heroin.

Det Garda Brady told the court that the road was wet that evening and Tracey’s passenger told him he had “hit somebody”. Tracey continued to drive at speed before he parked up his car and went to buy the drugs. He was arrested almost three weeks later.

The court heard 14-year-old Conor Hickey suffered serious injuries when he was struck by the car. He died the following day.

On arrest Tracey told gardaí that he had taken his eyes off the road and he remembered “a thud”. He said he had taken methadone that day and the reason he drove off was because he had no licence or insurance.

Tracey had 54 previous convictions at the time for robbery, drug and road traffic offences. He has since received three further convictions in 2017 and 2018 for theft and interfering with an ATM.

Det Gda Brady accepted he has not come to garda attention since those more recent convictions and had been in employment for a period of time.

Tracey, who was representing himself in court, asked Judge Orla Crowe to grant his application to have his licence restored.

“I am trying to live the rest of my life to the best of my ability without harming others,” he said.

He said he had been offered a job and the “driving licence would be helpful” before he reminded the court that he had not been in trouble since 2018.

Judge Crowe adjourned the case to February 3, next and asked Mr Le Vert to open the relevant case law before the court on that date.

At the 2014 hearing, John Hickey, the victim's father, said that his son's death has hit the family like a tsunami and has left a trail of destruction.

Reading from a victim impact report from the family he said: “Before December 2011 life for my family was very different and as close to perfect as you could get. Conor was in 2nd year preparing for his Junior Certificate.

“It’s impossible to describe the effects a tragedy like this does to a family. It’s like a tsunami that hits a family. It takes everything away in a flash.

“To say it’s a family’s worst nightmare to lose a child, I cannot think of anything else that could devastate a family more”.

His mother Margaret Hickey said she feels a pain in her chest which no pills can cure.

In her victim impact statement, she said: "No day goes by when I don't ask myself the question why, why did this happen?"

The boy's sister Claire wrote: "Conor wasn't just a brother but also my best friend. Since December 2, 2011, my life has changed forever. I've the biggest hole in my heart. I struggle to concentrate in college.”

"Conor was such an amazing character. No justice will return our Conor to his family. I feel we have a life sentence for the rest of our natural lives."

Det Gda Brady said that the victim had finished school that Friday and went straight to a local library to do his homework. He said that he went home at around four o'clock to eat his dinner and do his household chores before going out to meet up with friends.

A short time later his mother heard an ambulance and commented that she hoped no-one would be getting a knock on their door. Shortly afterwards a neighbour called around and told her Conor had been hit. The family went to Temple Street Children's Hospital where doctors told them he had suffered severe brain damage.

Mrs Hickey cried in court as Det Gda Brady said that the following day a brain scan revealed there was no brain activity. He said the family made the decision to turn off the life support system at 3.40pm on September 4. His parents asked for his organs to be donated.

A postmortem revealed that the child died as a result of head injuries.

Traumatised witnesses who were in cars at the junction of Faussagh Road told gardai they saw the boy waiting to cross the street. They said the lights were in their favour and he was free to cross the street.

They said the car was travelling at speed and that it came out of nowhere and hit the young boy as soon as he put his foot on the road.

Witness John Blake said: "It was like a car came out of nowhere. I had a good view of the road so it must have been flying." He said the boy was hit without warning and the car did not appear to slow down or brake.

Padraic Dwyer SC, defending, said his client had a chronic drug addiction. He said Tracey was sorry for the grief he has caused the Hickey family and if he could take back his actions he would.