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SENATOR LYNN RUANE has said she did not ask for a lighter sentence in a letter she wrote for a man convicted of dangerous driving causing the death of an 84-year-old woman.
Yesterday, Philip Ormond (43) was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for dangerous driving causing the death of Kathleen Furlong.
Ormond drove through a red light and was 18km over the speed limit when he struck Kathleen Furlong on the R136 in Tallaght on 8 September 2023 before leaving the scene.
At the sentencing hearing yesterday, Ormond’s legal team said a letter from Senator Lynn Ruane was before the court because she felt the need to offer support to Ormond. The letter was not read out in court.
Ormond’s solicitors told the court Ruane she was at pains to sympathise with the Furlong family.
Ruane said her letter made a reference to the benefits of restorative justice, but that the letter also stated that she “acknowledges and respects the family’s right to decline”.
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime or conflict, rather than solely on punishment.
It’s understood Ruane and Ormond have known each other since childhood and that Ormond volunteered with Ruane on a number of community-based projects in the past.
Speaking to The Journal, Ruane said she “in no way” made any suggestions around sentencing or lenient sentencing in her letter.
“I did not seek or reference any outcome in sentencing in my communication to court.
“I fully recognise the gravity of this situation, the tragic death of Ms Furlong and the impact that her loss has had on her family and friends. I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the Furlong family,” Ruane said in a statement.
The senator added that she wanted to repeat her sympathy for the Furlong family and “what transpired in this terrible incident.”
Despite the efforts of various people — including an off-duty doctor who had been in traffic at the time — to assist Ms Furlong, she was pronounced dead at the scene. She had suffered severe head injuries and multiple fractures to her leg, hip and pelvis.
Ormond, of Deerpark Place, Kiltipper Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, had 53 previous convictions. These include 24 road traffic offences, including one for dangerous driving from 2002.
Includes reporting from Sonya McLean.
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