A young man who caused the death of his friend, Ross Rice, through dangerous driving, has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail.
Jake Kelly (21) was 19 years old when the car he was driving collided with a tractor and trailer set which was stationary at a set of temporary traffic lights on the R403 in Celbridge, Kildare on the 18th of July 2023 after 10pm.
The Central Criminal Court heard that on the night in question, Kelly and Rice had agreed to meet up to go hunting, and that Kelly was driving the victim’s car as Rice had been disqualified.
There were independent eyewitnesses to the crash, however residents “heard a bang” before going to investigate the source of the noise reported seeing Kelly get out of the vehicle through the driver side window before he left the scene.
Although emergency services arrived at the scene, they were not aware of the presence of Mr. Rice in the vehicle, where two lecher dogs were discovered in the hear of the vehicle.
The court heard that the passenger side window of the vehicle was covered in tar which had spilled from the vehicle it had collided with.
At a previous sentencing hearing, Judge Martina Baxter questioned whether Kelly had tried to call his friend’s phone after he fled the scene, after hearing that, because the car was partially under the trailer due to the impact, Kelly may not have been able to see him.
The court heard that after the crash, Kelly called Rice’s sister telling her that there had been an accident and that he was “in bits” but didn’t go to hospital.
Kelly, who was on bail at the time, said he was “afraid he would be locked up”.
On the 26th of July, the accused was located at his girlfriend’s home in Tallaght, and when Gardaí enquired after the clothes he was wearing on the night of the crash, he directed them to where they could be found through his mother.
Judge Baxter heard that there was cannabis involved at the time of the incident and that, although Kelly has reduced his use of the drugs, he has not given it up completely.
His defending counsel, David Stanton, argued that the crash has had an “impact on Mr. Kelly has been quite profound” and that he has “a profound understanding of the loss of life caused by his actions.”
He said that Kelly visits the grave of his friend and that he has been “severely depressed since the incident” and would “almost have preferred if he had died instead.”
Judge Baxter accepted that Kelly’s expressions of remorse were genuine, before setting a sentence of seven-and-a-half-years, before suspending the final year.
She said that Mr. Rice had been the victim of a “catastrophic and fatal” crash, with Kelly admitting that he had been smoking cannabis on the night.