A THUG who stole a car on the night Garda Robbie McCallion was killed in Letterkenny was today jailed again for five years for driving a car at another Garda.
He was also disqualified from driving for life in the sentence handed down today by Judge O ‘Hagan.
Cathal Dunleavy (23), from Meentagh, Glenvar, Kerrykeel, Co Donegal, admitted driving an Opel Corsa car at Garda Patrick Geraghty at Milltown, Kerrykeel on October 18 last year.
A 20-minute video, taken from a pursuing Garda car, was shown to the court as the prosecution outlined the seriousness of the 16 offences including a dozen dangerous driving charges and one of endangering the life of a Garda.
Co-accused Gary Gibbons of Glenvar, Kerrykeel, could be seen on the video throwing beer bottles at the pursuing Garda car.
Jailing Dunleavy, Judge O’Hagan said: “This is an appalling case, I don’t know what is in the blood of young Donegal drivers but it is absolute madness. The animosity and utter contempt shown towards the Gardai is staggering.
“How someone wasn’t killed in this incident is an absolute miracle, we have already heard Garda Patrick Gerraghty say that he felt he was going to be seriously injured when you rammed into his patrol car which we saw on the video footage shown here today.
“You had two female passengers in the back seat, one in her mid twenties and the other a 16 year old girl who was pregnant at the time, you drove at speeds of up to 150kph on country roads and I reiterate again that it was an absolutely miracle nobody was killed in this incident.”
The incident followed a high speed car chase from Letterkenny to Fanad.
Dunleavy was jailed for three years in June 2010 for stealing a car on the night Garda McCallion was killed on March 26, 2009. He was on bail at the time of that offence.
His co-accused then Jamie Grenaghan was later jailed for seven years for causing death by dangerous driving.
Dunleavy this week pleaded guilty to endangering the life of a Garda, 12 counts of dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen of breath.
Gibbons admitted causing criminal damage by smashing the window of a Garda car, throwing items at a Garda car which could have caused injury and allowing Dunleavy to drive his car.
Garda Collins who was quickly on the scene to assist Garda Gerraghty in arresting Dunleavy, told the court when giving evidence how threatening Dunleavy was to both himself and Garda Collins when they took him to Letterkenny Garda station.
Garda Collins told the court: “He wouldn’t co-operate with our investigations and refused to give a breath specimen, he then proceeded to threaten us, He said I’d love to jump over that counter now and jump on your F**king skull you scumbag, You will be got in the long grass, Castlerea prison is a holiday camp and I’ve no problem going back there.
“He also attempted to headbutt me and kick Garda Gerraghty before launching into another foul mouthed tirade in which he said I don’t care if I get 5 or 20 years you F**king scumbags will be got, and where is my lawyer you B**tard.”
The court also heard that at the time of this incident Dunleavy had been disqualified from driving for 15 years for previous driving offences and had no insurance or drivers license. When giving his statement to Gardai he said the reason he drove the car was because he was the only person capable of driving the car.
When sentencing Judge O’Hagan said: “It is not my responsibility to take revenge on you on behalf of society or the people of Donegal or for Garda Gerraghty whose life you endangered but I do have a responsibility to send out a message and make an example of you to all those other young drivers in Donegal.
‘That this sort of driving is simply not acceptable and never will be acceptable, I’m sentencing you to 5 years imprisonment for endangerment and I think it is in the best interests of everybody that you never be allowed to drive on the roads again so I hereby disqualify you from driving for life.”
Dunleavy has been in custody since being arrested following the incident which took place on the 18th of October 2012. He was taken back to Castlerea prison after the hearing were he will serve the remainder of his sentence.
Gibbons will be sentenced later.