Woman jailed for four years over drink-driving crash

A 46-year-old woman has been jailed for four years after she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of her best friend after she crashed having consumed 12 alcoholic drinks.

Jennifer Thomas, of Oakfield View, Glanmire in Co Cork, had claimed her friend Sheila Dunne had been driving when she was fatally injured in the crash closed to the mother-of-two's home in February last year.

Sentencing the former model at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Helen Boyle said the tragedy was entirely preventable - they could have had a designated driver, a taxi, bus or walked.

In a statement, Ms Dunne's daughter Lilley said on behalf of herself and her brother TJ that "drink-driving is a choice. A choice that ruins lives".

"Today I stand here to honour my mom's memory and contemplate the justice served. No sentence will ever bring her back or ease the pain of losing her, but accountability is everything. I carry a life sentence of love, loss, and shattered lives. What happened to my mom was senseless and preventable, and it haunts me every day.

"We hope this sends a powerful message: actions have consequences. If our story can stop another family from suffering this kind of heartbreak, maybe it will have meant something.

"Drink driving is a choice. A choice that ruins lives".

Thomas, of Oakfield View, Glanmire, pleaded guilty last month to dangerous driving causing the death of her friend Sheila Dunne at Sarsfield Court on 11 February 2024.

At the time of the crash, she claimed her best friend had been driving her SUV when the crash happened after a day's drinking during which she had consumed 12 alcoholic drinks including prosecco, wine and gin.

Earlier this week, investigating Garda Detective Mark Durcan told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that in the lead up to the crash, witnesses described Thomas asleep at the wheel at traffic lights for up to eight minutes, ignored requests to pull over, and later narrowly missed knocking down two pedestrians.

He said Thomas was wearing her seat belt when the SUV turned over on its driver's side. Ms Dunne was not, causing her to fall on top of Thomas.

Thomas had claimed her friend was driving but later admitted she had been.

The special needs assistant and mother of two died two days later in hospital.

Defence barrister Tom Creed said his client was hugely remorseful for her actions and accepted that getting behind the wheel drunk was an "outrageous" thing to do.

The court hear that Thomas had ten previous convictions for road traffic offences, larceny and misuse of drugs.

Sentencing her, Judge Boyle said the offence was at the upper end of the scale and while she understood no sentence will bring Ms Dunne back to her family, she had to take on board the plea of guilty and mitigation factors.

She jailed her for five years with the final year suspended.