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The parents of a young man who was killed after being struck by a hit-and-run driver who was out on bail have called on Irish lawmakers to implement urgent reforms.
Lucia and Jim O’Farrell’s son, Shane, died in August 2011 aged just 23. The UCD law graduate was cycling home when he was struck by a car in Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan.
The driver of the car, Zigimantus Gridziuska, admitted to failing to stop at the scene and to report the incident. Gridziuska, a Lithuanian national, had received multiple convictions for theft and drugs offences. On the day of the accident, he should have been in prison for breaches of bail conditions that applied to him at the time.
He was later acquitted of dangerous driving causing death and did not serve any prison time.
Gridziuska received an eight-month suspended sentence, on the condition that he leave Ireland within 21 days.
Several reviews have identified failures in the criminal justice system that meant Mr Gridziuska was at liberty when he killed Mr O’Farrell.
The O’Farrell family received a public apology from Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan last year, who said he was sorry “for the fact that the criminal justice system did not protect him as it should have”.
Appearing before the Oireachtas Justice committee this week, Ms O’Farrell said that the man who killed her son had committed 30 offences while on bail over a two year period.
“He was in breach of bail conditions from numerous district and circuit courts. Repeated breaches of bail were known but not acted upon; that is the real worry,” Lucia O’Farrell told the Committee.
She described her late son Shane O’Farrell as “a beautiful soul” and someone who was “exceptionally kind and good.”
“He was witty. He loved life, nature, music, and rugby. We simply adored him,” said Ms O’Garrell.
“If bail is not fixed and not adhered to, that is a breach of a court order. There needs to be a consequence and a deterrent for those who show scant regard for court orders,” she added.
“Breaches of bail should always be brought to the attention of the court and ensure that there are objections for bail in all inappropriate cases.”
Representatives from the Bar of Ireland, the Law Society of Ireland and the Irish Penal Reform Trust were also in attendance at the meeting.
The parents of Shane have said that the gardai need to monitor compliance with bail conditions.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced a review of the current bail laws, and previously said in the Dáil that the proposed changes are “a reflection of how the criminal justice system did not protect Shane O’Farrell”.
“That series of failures allowed the driver of the car who knocked down Shane O’Farrell to be at liberty when, in all reasonable circumstances, he should have been in custody,” Taoiseach Micheál Martin previously said.
In a statement following the publication of the report into existing bail laws last November, the O’Farrell family that the report confirmed their “long-standing concerns about the inefficiency and inconsistency of the application of bail in Ireland”.
They have urged the Government to act on the recommendations, saying that failure to do so would expose citizens to life-threatening risks, resulting in tragic outcomes, as was the case for Shane.”
The State apology over Shane’s death followed a 13 year-long fight by the O’Farrell family for a public inquiry into how the justice system dealt with Mr Gridziuska, a repeat criminal. TDs also voted for a public inquiry twice; in 2019 and 2024.
However, Minister Jim O’Callaghan said there was no need for a public inquiry, stating: “I do not need to wait five years for an inquiry report to tell me about those failings,” before issuing an apology.
Whilst the family welcomed the 2025 apology, they were critical of the State for its previous treatment of them.
The O’Farrells said that they hoped the apology would be a “watershed” for the Department of Justice and State bodies, and that senior civil servants would reflect on the malpractice identified both before and after Shane’s death.
“Those involved in the culture of concealment which we have experienced should be asked by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach to account for their actions,” they said last Spring. “We hope that our advocacy over the past 13 years has drawn attention to the failings in the system and it is now incumbent on the State to address these issues.”
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