Motorist who took part in rampage of driving across Cork endangered young lives, court hears 

A TERRIFYING rampage of driving across Cork county and city saw the driver endangering the lives of his wife and six young children — one of whom was seen “with her hands clasped in prayer imploring the guards to help her”.

Judge Colin Daly sentenced the driver to four years, with the last year suspended, and the jail term was backdated to when he went into custody on the charges, in September 2022.

Detective Inspector Daniel Coholan outlined the background to the 40-minute dangerous driving rampage, from North Cork to Cork city and on to Ringaskiddy and back.

The 35-year-old motorist cannot be named as it would lead to identification of victims in the case, including his children and his wife, who had a domestic order against him at the time.

His wife moved herself and the children out of the family home a number of weeks before the incident.

Immediately prior to the events of endangerment and the false imprisonment of his family, the accused had spent five days in a residential psychiatric facility.

He arranged to meet his wife and children on the day he was released. He was on a lot of prescribed medication, but it appeared that he left this meeting with his family and returned to them after taking cocaine and showing a different attitude to his wife.

He took over his wife’s van and drove in a manner that caused onlookers such concern that they notified gardaí.

Six cars rammed

He drove at high speed on the M8 motorway and rammed garda cars at Dunkettle.

He rammed a total of six cars during the escapade. He caused injuries to four gardaí. At one stage the van door slid open and he threw out the car seat for the youngest child — a five-month-old infant. The children were screaming for help.

One garda managed to taser the driver but it failed to stop him from driving. It was not until a stinger device disabled the van, at Carr’s Hill, that it came to a halt and gardaí were able to rescue the six children and the man’s wife.

But even when the van was disabled the accused was trying to give his wife his jacket and change places with her, to muddy the picture in terms of who was driving.

Judge Daly said: “The gravity of offences is at the highest end of the range. Particularly aggravating factors were that children were present — very young children — unconstrained. His wife and children were held prisoner in the van to the most dangerous extent.”

Man's wife said they are lost without him

The man’s wife — who was described as the victim of the most serious offences committed by the accused — spoke up for him and said she wanted him home.

She initially made a statement to gardaí about what happened on the night that she and their six children were endangered, but she later withdrew it.

“I was in shock. I said a lot of words I shouldn’t have said in shock. He was a big loss to me bringing the children to school.

“What happened, happened but he wasn’t in his right state of mind. He needs help. I want him home to us.

“My little girl had a very bad tummy ache [on the night]. He was bringing her to Cork to hospital.

“He came out of the mental home that day himself. He is a very good father to his children, a very good husband to me. We would like to see him come home.

“He wasn’t in the right state of mind that day.”

Defence senior counsel Ray Boland said the accused had taken cocaine earlier that day. The defendant’s wife said: “He probably could have, I don’t know.”

She then added: “He’s a brilliant father. Without him, I am lost. We need him to come home.”

He pleaded guilty to charges of endangering life and other charges arising out of the ramming of garda cars in Cork, during a prolonged escapade on September 28, 2022.

He also admitted breaching a protection order, putting his wife in fear, and falsely imprisoning her and the children.