Shane O’Farrell: Irish executive apologises over Monaghan hit-and-run

The Irish executive has apologised to the circle of relatives of a bike owner who was once killed in a hit-and-run led to through a motive force who will have to were in prison.

Shane O’Farrell, 23, was once struck through a automobile whilst biking close to his house in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, in 2011.

The motive force, Zigimantas Gridziuska, had greater than 40 convictions on the time, together with some in Northern Ireland.

Speaking within the Dáil Éireann on Tuesday, Tánaiste (Ireland’s deputy top minister) Simon Harris TD mentioned: “We acknowledge failures in the Courts Service and the criminal justice system that exposed Shane to danger on the fateful day of his tragic death.”

The O’Farrell circle of relatives have campaigned for a public inquiry into their son’s dying.

The frame of the legislation graduate was once discovered just about 60 yards (54m) from the purpose the place he was once hit through a automobile on 2 August 2011.

Gridziuska, a Lithuanian nationwide, left the scene of the deadly crash however the next day to come he passed himself into gardaí (Irish police).

He have been a standard defendant in courts in Monaghan, Cavan and Louth within the years previous to the killing, in step with RTÉ.

In the January, sooner than the deadly crash, a ruling from Monaghan Circuit Court intended Gridziuska will have to were in prison on the time of Mr O’Farrell’s dying.

Instead, he remained on bail.

Another jail sentence passed down in February 2011 was once additionally no longer imposed.

The Court Services of Ireland up to now mentioned Gridziuska’s jail sentences have been by no means served as a result of what it described as an administrative error.

As a part of their long-running marketing campaign, the O’Farrell circle of relatives have up to now travelled to Belfast and Brussels to boost their case in Stormont and the European Parliament.

Harris hopes that the apology can “in some small way can start to heal the wounds left by Shane’s untimely death”.

“The harrowing events of that day in August 2011 were just the beginning of a living nightmare for the O’Farrell family,” he mentioned.

Harris added that the federal government has made “a number of decisions” that have been really useful through the minister and feature risen from the marketing campaign of the O’Farrell circle of relatives.

He hopes those choices will “bring about meaningful change” and mentioned that Minister O’Callaghan will define those choices in additional element.

“As tánaiste, I fully endorse and support the apology.”