*The hearing was before Limerick Circuit Court.
A MAN LIVING IN ENNIS who was banned from driving for twenty years for dangerous driving causing death in a Limerick accident is to get his licence back six years early.
By Sandra Quinn
In October 2010, Jason Gormley had a Castleconnell address at the time, but now has an address now at Woodhaven, Kilrush Road, Ennis.
He was sentenced to three years in prison and a twenty-year driving ban, for driving drunk, fleeing the scene and causing the death of 52-year-old Aidan Lawless.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Thomas O’Donnell’s predecessor Judge Moran.
At Limerick Circuit Court, Barrister for the State, John O’Sullivan, described the application to have his licence reinstated early as a “somewhat sensitive situation”.
He told the court there was a perception on the part of the family of a lack of remorse and that the return to driving would be “too early”.
Inspector Gary Thompson, who was a sergeant at Roxboro Road Garda Station at the time, told the court that 63% of the driving ban has been served and by January of next year, 2024, 66% will have been served.
Mr Gormley was arrested sixteen hours after fleeing the scene at Ahabeg, Ballysimon, on October 4, 2009.
At the time of the incident, Mr Lawless, a father-of-two, from Clonmel in Tipperary, was driving home from Limerick with his wife Cathleen, after dropping their daughter Rachel back to college.
Mr Gormley’s solicitor Ted McCarthy told the court his client doesn’t want the Lawless family to “think he is without remorse”.
“There isn’t a day that passes that it doesn’t weigh on him and continues to weigh on him”. Taking the stand, Jason Gormley was visibly and audibly distressed, as he broke down in tears, at times unable to speak.
Mr McCarthy said his client hasn’t come to the attention of the Gardaí since he completed his prison sentence and that he’s a businessman who is ‘respected in the community’.
Barrister for the State, John O’Sullivan said it’s of concern that he didn’t at the time “show sufficient remorse”.
Mr Gormley said he had indicated after his sentence that he wanted to communicate with Mr Lawless’ family – saying “it was absolutely never my intention to hurt anybody and I live with this every day of my life. I’m sorry I wasn’t in a very good state and I found it hard to deal with the whole situation”.
He told the court he was told not to communicate with the family because of the hurt he had caused.
Addressing, Mr Lawless’ daughter Rachel who was in court with Inspector Gary Thompson, he said “I can only apologise from the bottom of my heart”.
He told the court that he refused early release and tried to be a model prisoner, but he was released one day early to take part in the Dublin Marathon and was in an open prison for the last year of his sentence.
Mr Gormley had an infant son at the time of his imprisonment, he said he has since lost contact with his son who is now 13 years old and his partner at the time left him and moved to the UK with their child.
He agreed with his solicitor that upon his release he was “effectively homeless”.
Mr Gormley, now 52 years old, runs a tech communications business and employs seven people, supplying mobile phones to companies.
He has had reason to travel for business in the past twelve years and agreed that he has likely lost business due to his inability to drive.
Addressing the court, Mr Gormley said he hasn’t even so much as “reversed the car out of the driveway” while the driving ban has been in place.
When asked by his solicitor if he thinks of this all the time and particularly on the anniversary of this collision, he broke down on the witness stand, sobbing uncontrollably and again addressing Rachel Lawless said “I can just apologise, I never meant to hurt your Dad, I would do whatever it takes if you ever needed to talk to me, I know you probably hate me – I am deeply, deeply sorry. I never meant to hurt you or your family and I hope that you can forgive me someday”.
Barrister John O’Sullivan clarified that at the time, Mr Gormley was drunk and fled the scene.
He agreed that he never appealed the prison sentence or the driving ban and the duration of either.
Judge O’Donnell said that he got the impression that this was the first time that the family had heard any kind of apology and that it strikes him as being “pretty genuine”.
The Judge said that despite the passage of time, this “awful tragedy is still palpable”. Judge Thomas O’Donnell restored the licence, effective from January 1, 2024.
After the hearing finished, Mr Gormley approached Rachel Lawless, who is now 33 years old, in a bid to apologise, but she said “you’re an absolute liar” and refused to engage with him.
