Man jailed for Dublin hit-and-run which killed couple

A man has been jailed for five years for a hit-and-run incident on St Stephen's Day 2024, which led to the death of a husband and wife.

John Halpin of Whitestown Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of 39 year old Anthony Hogg and his 38-year-old wife, Georgina Hogg Moore, in Blanchardstown on 26 December 2024.

The 46-year-old also pleaded guilty to failing to stop and to leaving the scene of an accident knowing that injury had been caused.

His partner, 35-year-old Nicole Fallon, also of Whitestown Avenue, pleaded guilty to impeding his arrest.

She was given a three-year fully suspended sentence as the judge ruled he had to consider the effect that her imprisonment would have on the couple’s four children under six.

Mr Hogg and Ms Hogg Moore’s 17-year-old daughter, who was with her mother and father when the collision happened, said she had witnessed what "no person should ever have to witness".

Becky Joy Hogg described to the court how her parents would never get the chance to have the life they had worked so hard for and they would not get the chance to grow old, "all because someone decided to run a red light and not stop his car when he was supposed to".

She described how her mum and dad were going out on a date together just after 5.30pm on the evening of St Stephen's Day.

She was going to meet friends and they decided they would walk together as she was going in the same direction.

Becky Joy said her parents were behind her, arm in arm, talking to each other, and looked "so happy and content".

In her victim impact statement, she said she heard her mother scream and before she realised what was happening, she was hit by a car.

When she came to, she said she saw her dad lying on the concrete "bleeding out" and she watched as his lips went blue and the light drained from his eyes. She described trying to help him and screaming for help.

She said that she could hear a woman screaming and thought it was her mother, but when she looked around, she realised her mother had been hit too and her body was lying on the road.

The sight of her mother was horrifying, she told the court, as she had been dragged under the car and her whole body was disfigured.

She added that this was something she relived every day of her life.

Detective Garda Alan Murphy told the court the family were crossing at a pedestrian crossing and the pedestrian light was green when they were hit.

Witnesses described hearing car tyres screeching and saw a long dark car leave the scene. There was no sign of any emergency braking on the road.

The car’s front registration plate as well as other items of debris were left at the pedestrian crossing.

Forensic crash investigators established the car was travelling at around 85km/h in a 60km/h zone.

Ms Hogg Moore was pronounced dead at the scene while her husband died later in hospital despite efforts at the scene to help him.

Both died from multiple traumatic injuries. Their daughter suffered injuries to her hip and ankle.

Det Gda Murphy told the court when gardaí went to the house where the car was registered, they met Nicole Fallon who said she did not know where her husband was and that he had not been at home all day.

They later discovered that Halpin had returned home and that Fallon had immediately moved the car to a different housing estate along with his jacket and two mobile phones.

Halpin handed himself into gardaí that night. He told gardaí he could not explain what had happened and did not know why he had left the scene.

The court heard Halpin and Fallon’s eight-month-old baby was in hospital at the time and the couple, who have three other children, had been taking it in turns to stay with him.

Halpin was returning from the hospital on the evening of 26 December and told gardaí he was exhausted and that he did not see the lights.

He said he may have been looking at the radio or the air conditioning.

Halpin was not intoxicated and there was no evidence he had been using his phone.

The court heard Halpin has 33 previous convictions including possession of drugs and road traffic matters including drink driving and driving without insurance. However, the most recent conviction dates back to 2011.

Fallon also has previous convictions including convictions for road traffic offences, some committed after this incident.

Mr Hogg and Ms Hogg Moore had two children - Becky Joy and Ryan, who is now 19.

Their daughter read her victim impact statement from a special room in the victims’ suite at the courts of criminal justice.

She described Halpin as a "monster" and said losing her parents had changed the course of her whole life.

She said her mam and dad were the heart and soul of every social setting, and outlined how during Covid, they brought the whole estate together, organising barbeques and bingo.

The couple's daughter said she was now terrified of cars and roads and stayed inside as much as possible.

She had been in counselling for a year but was not improving and everything she did was overshadowed by constant flashbacks.

She said she should be worried about her Leaving Certificate exams, which she's due to sit next month, and not about the court hearing.

Instead, she said, the rest of her life would be dominated by visions of that night.

'Someone decided to run a red light'

She said her parents had their children when they were very young and had just reached the stage where they could do the things they wanted to do.

"They will never get the chance to get the life they worked so hard for," she said.

She added that they would not get the chance to grow old, "all because someone decided to run a red light and not stop his car when he was supposed to".

Ms Hogg Moore’s brother, Ross Moore, read a statement on behalf of the couple’s son, Ryan, who is now 19.

He said he had been struggling to keep his life together since what happened and felt alone so often.

He said he felt lost and was not sure what to do. He said he had gone to college as a result of his parents’ help, but now they would never see him graduate.

Mr Moore said the sudden violence of the deaths had caused emotional trauma and the fact that someone had chosen to flee rather than help had created an extra layer of pain and anger.

Mr Hogg’s sister, Jennifer, who is also helping to care for the children said she worried constantly about them and the fact that their daughter witnessed the loss of both her parents never left her mind.

She said it was not just an accident; it was the destruction of their family.

Mr Hogg’s mother, Jackie, said her grandchildren were the only thing keeping her going and no words could express the torture she was going through day by day.

In his sentencing, Judge Martin Nolan said everyone who drove accepted that people could make mistakes, but he said the court always sought to identify aggravating factors in these cases.

He said Halpin did not intend to knock down and kill two people, but he said he should have seen them.

It was a straight road, there was street lighting and they had the benefit of a pedestrian light.

He said Halpin’s speed was an aggravating factor along with his leaving of the scene, when he must have been aware of the impacts.

He jailed him for five years, taking into account his early plea of guilt and his remorse. He also disqualified him from driving for 10 years.

In relation to Fallon, he said she impeded the garda investigation by moving the car after the collision and lying to gardaí.

However, he said the court had to take into account the effect her imprisonment - along with Halpin - would have on the couple’s four children who are aged between one and six years old.

He imposed a three-year sentence, suspended in full.

Judge Nolan extended his sympathies to the families of the couple, describing what had happened as a "terribly tragic incident".