After his brother’s killer escaped, Ronan Keating took to social media to criticize the “broken justice system.”
The former Boyzone singer’s brother, Ciaran, was killed in a car crash in Mayo, Ireland, in July 2023 while on his way to his son’s football match. In a collision on the N5 at Ballymiles on a road known as an accident black-spot, Caiaran received fatal injuries.
Ciarán’s wife Annmarie was unable to attend her husband’s funeral because of her medical condition after the collision. A man who was in the collision has now received a 17-month prison sentence with a two-year suspended sentence. Judge Eoin Garavan also forbade him from driving for two years.
Dean Harte pleaded guilty to careless driving after being charged with it and facing serious injury on the DPP’s orders.
After receiving the sentence, singer Ronan posted his shock on Instagram. He remarked, “Today’s sentencing was a devastating illustration of how broken our justice system is. You can kill a man… and you can walk free. Not even a single night in prison. Nothing more than a slap on the wrist and a ticket to carry on your life.
Then, he continued, “We wonder why we keep seeing this kind of behavior on our roads and why every week, people in Ireland pass away in road accidents?” They all turn a blind eye to our broken system, which is morally wrong and a joke.
He then yelled at the car before saying, “Shame on everyone who contributed to this process that caused today’s heartbreaking outcome for my family.” Devastatingly, Ronan said his family will now never find peace.
“We will continue to fight for Ciaran’s justice”, he said. We pray that other families never find themselves in our position and think of all the other families who have already come into our lives at this time.
In court, John Shortt, counsel for Harte, called the accident as “an absolute tragedy”. He claimed that while it was difficult for the Keating family to accept an apology, Harte had written a letter outlining “genuine remorse.” He added that the Keating family’s life had forever changed. The Keating family turned down the offer, he claimed.
One of Annmarie Keating’s sons, Conall, was reportedly present at the hearing and gave impact statements on behalf of her and her family. “Ciarán was the love of my life and the beat of my heart”, Mrs Keating wrote. “I will never forget this and never forget.”
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Source: Mirror
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