A MAN charged in connection with a hit and run collision that left a young nurse dead was high on cannabis and “fast gas”, a court heard Friday.
The accused, 19-year-old Keelan O’Connell Scanlon Park, Castleconnell, Co Limerick, was charged before Limerick District Court, with dangerous driving causing the death of Aine O’Reilly, (33), at N24, Grange West, Boher, Co Limerick, on Friday, February 13 last.
Mr O’Connell was also charged with driving without a driver’s licence, and, with driving without insurance, at the same location on the same date.
Garda Tony Burke, Henry Street garda station, gave evidence that he arrested Mr O’Connell at his home, at 7:42am on Thursday, March 19th.
Garda Burke said after he charged and cautioned Mr O’Connell at 6:06pm Thursday evening, the accused “made no reply”.
Members of Ms O’Reilly’s family and members of Mr O’Connell’s family sat in separate sides of the courtroom during the contested bail hearing.
Objecting to bail, Garda Burke alleged that on the night in question Mr O’Connell was driving a black coloured 2007 registered “high-powered” VW Golf with “excess speed” and he attempted a “dangerous manoeuvre”, to undertake a Peugeot car.
Garda Burke alleged Mr O’Connell’s VW Golf collided with the Peugeot forcing the Peugeot into a collision with a Nissan Micra car, which was being driven by Ms O’Reilly.
Garda Burke told the court Ms Reilly, who was on her way to her workplace at the out of hours GP service, Shannondoc, suffered “catastrophic injuries” in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Garda Burke said gardai had harvested dash cam footage from the Peugeot car which showed the fatal collision.
Garda Burke alleged that Mr O’Connell “fled the scene on foot” along with two occupants from his VW Golf, after it was “significantly damaged”.
Garda Burke also alleged Mr O’Connell “failed to provide assistance” to the other motorists at the scene.
Garda Burke gave uncontested evidence that, on the day after the fatal collision, Mr O’Connell presented himself to gardai and admitted being the driver of the car that caused the fatal collision.
Gardai were later in discussions with Mr O’Connell and formally arrested him on March 19th, 2026.
Garda Burke said there was “strong evidence” against Mr O’Connell, which, he said included independent witnesses; cctv; and dash cam footage.
The court heard uncontested evidence from Garda Burke that Mr O’Connell admitted to gardai that he is “addicted to smoking cannabis” and that “he was under the influence of cannabis and ‘fast gas’” at the time of the fatal collision.
Garda Burke said it was his believe that Mr O’Connell would, if granted bail, continue to commit “serious offences” due to his “addiction to drugs”.
Garda Burke said it was also his belief that, if granted bail, the accused would “continue to drive and pose a serious risk to the public” and that he would not answer the charges in court.
Garda Burke agreed with Mr O’Connell’s solicitor, Sarah Ryan, that the accused volunteered himself to Gardai after the collision, and that he had cooperated with the garda investigation.
When it was put to him that Mr O’Connell was not a flight risk, Garda Burke accepted Mr O’Connell was arrested at his home.
In her decision to refuse bail, Judge Patricia Harney said she had to balance that, Mr O’Connell, as an accused person, was entitled to the “presumption of innocence” against that he was facing serious charges, “the most serious being dangerous driving causing death in which a young woman lost her life”.
The judge said she was satisfied the bail objection by Garda Burke was “well founded” and “should be accepted”.
Mr O’Connell was remanded in custody to appear before Limerick District Court via video-link for further directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions on March 24th.