Cavan man who killed a man while drink-driving to get new sentence
A civil engineer from Cavan who crashed and killed a man while drunkenly driving in the wrong direction down a dual carriageway has had his five year suspended sentence overturned for being too lenient.
The Court of Criminal Appeal will impose a new sentence on Ronan Cunningham at a later date far dangerous driving causing death in October 2010.
Ronan Cunningham drank eight pints at a darts tournament, got behind the wheel and drove down the wrong side of the N7 Naas dual carriageway for seven kilometres before colliding with another car.
The engineer from Kingscourt pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of 23-year-old Emanuel Mendez and was given a five year suspended sentence.
The DPP appealed against the sentence arguing that while there were many mitigating factors in the case including Ronan Cunningham’s co-operation with gardaí and his high level of remorse, the term imposed was unduly lenient.
The three judges agreed that the ‘extraordinary nature of the driving’ was ‘so alarming a feature of the case’ that they do not believe it was adequately taken into account by the sentencing judge.
They will impose a new sentence at a later date.
