A man who was previously disqualified from driving for 20 years when he fatally injured a 14-year-old boy in a hit-and-run has applied for the restoration of his driving licence.
Ruadhan Tracey (44), of Lagore Green, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, received a 20-month jail sentence in 2014 after pleading guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to careless driving causing the death of Conor Hickey at Faussagh Road in Cabra, on December 2nd, 2011. He also admitted to a charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
Conor Hickey’s family and the gardaí are opposed to the restoration of Tracey’s driving licence.
At the 2014 sentence hearing, Judge Mary Ellen Ring said she was bound by the legislation before she imposed the prison term and disqualified Tracey from driving for 20 years.
On Wednesday Pieter Le Vert, prosecuting, outlined the evidence heard in the previous sentence hearing.
He said Tracey admitted that he had driven into the city with a friend that day to buy heroin.
Det Garda Jonathan Brady told the court the road was wet that evening and Tracey’s passenger told him he had “hit somebody”. Tracey continued to drive at speed before he parked his car and went to buy the drugs. He was arrested almost three weeks later.
The court heard Conor Hickey suffered serious injuries and died the following day.
On arrest Tracey told gardaí he had taken his eyes off the road and he remembered “a thud”. He said he took methadone that day and he drove off because he had no licence or insurance.
Tracey had 54 previous convictions at the time for robbery, drug and road traffic offences. He has since received three further convictions, in 2017 and 2018, for theft and interfering with an ATM.
Det Garda Brady accepted he has not come to Garda attention since those more recent convictions and has been employed for a time.
Tracey, who was representing himself in court, asked Judge Orla Crowe to grant his application to have his licence restored.
“I am trying to live the rest of my life to the best of my ability without harming others,” he said.
He said he had been offered a job and the “driving licence would be helpful”.
Judge Crowe adjourned the case to February 3rd and asked Mr Le Vert to open the relevant case law before the court on that date.
At the 2014 hearing, John Hickey said his son’s death hit the family like a tsunami and left a trail of destruction.
“It’s impossible to describe the effects a tragedy like this does to a family. It’s like a tsunami that hits a family. It takes everything away in a flash.”
Conor’s mother Margaret Hickey said she felt a pain in her chest which no pills can cure.
Det Garda Brady said Conor had finished school that Friday and went straight to a local library to do his homework. He said he went home at about 4pm to eat his dinner and do his household chores before going out to meet up with friends.
Witnesses who were in cars at the junction of Faussagh Road told gardaí they saw the boy waiting to cross the street.
They said the car was travelling at speed and came out of nowhere, hitting the young boy as soon as he put his foot on the road when the lights were in his favour.