Latest news with #AnthonySmyth
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Former Dublin Bus driver jailed after ‘using car as a weapon' in road crash
Anthony Smyth, Orchard Villas, Newry, Co. Down, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm. A second count of endangerment was taken into consideration. The collision occurred north of Dundalk on May 18, 2024, between Junctions 19 and 20 of the N1, and the woman told gardaí who attended the scene that it was caused deliberately to kill her. Judge Dara Hayes said that the speed involved of between 100 and 110mph was 'dangerous in the extreme'. It was serious offending. He used his car as a weapon against his ex. He could easily have killed them both. What occurred had a significant and ongoing impact on the victim. The judge continued that he accepted as genuine remorse a letter from Mr Smyth, who appeared at Dundalk Circuit Court via video link. A five-and-a-half year sentence was imposed, the final 18 months suspended, and backdated to May 18, 2024. A 10-year driving disqualification was added. At a previous hearing evidence was given that the accused and the woman had been in a 32-year relationship which ended in 2023. That September he had been allowed back into the family home in Newry because he had nowhere to go. On this occasion the victim had been 'put in' an Audi Q7. She believed he was bringing her to Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. The vehicle was driven south by Mr Smyth before he collided with the rear wheel of a lorry travelling in the same direction, causing the car to 'flip'. The woman alleged that he crashed deliberately into the lorry at more than 100mph as he tried to kill her. Anthony Smyth, who is originally from Dublin, claimed that it was an accident which occurred when he bent to retrieve a dropped cigarette. Det Gda Brendan Duffy said that gardaí arrived on the scene at 7.15am. Two articulated trucks were parked on the side of the motorway, while a crashed car was in the overtaking lane. The car had been on the outside lane. The woman said the defendant began 'skirting' between two flat bed lorries travelling in the same direction. There was a large bang. Smoke was in the car and there was a burning smell. The woman panicked. She couldn't get the door open. She blacked out for a moment or two. Dashcam footage from one of the lorries was viewed by the judge. In a Victim Impact Statement, the woman said she suffered a traumatic brain injury and was left an emotional wreck, unable to work. She couldn't sleep and had night terrors, leaving her tired and anxious. "He may be the one on remand in prison, I too have been given a sentence with no limit.' Mr Smyth's family had relocated to Newry. He attended Abbey CBS and St Paul's, Bessbrook. In 1992, at age 22 he was among the first at the scene when an RUC vehicle was blown up in mortar attack at The Quays, Newry. A female police constable was killed and another officer lost his legs. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
Irish Daily Mirror
03-08-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man accused of deliberately trying to injure ex-partner in M1 crash is jailed
A former bus driver whose ex partner believed he had driven into the back of a lorry on the M1 to kill her - has been jailed four years. Dubliner Anthony Smyth, 55, of Orchard Villas, Newry, Co Down, admitted dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm on the M1 at Feede, Dundalk on May 18, 2023. A second count of endangerment is being taken into consideration. At Dundalk Circuit Court, Judge Dara Hayes said: 'He used his car as a weapon against his ex-partner and he could have killed them both.' The court heard Smyth's ex-partner of 32 years believed Smyth was bringing her to a hospital in Newry. However, between Junctions 19 and 20, the Audi was travelling at between 160kph and 175kph in a 120kph zone and skirting between two lanes before it crashed into a flatbed trailer. This caused the Audi in which the pair were travelling to flip. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week The woman alleged that he crashed deliberately into the lorry at speed and that she blacked out afterwards. Smyth claimed he had dropped a lit cigarette in the footwell and had bent down to pick it up. The judge said: 'To do that at speed is dangerous.' He added there was a wide hard shoulder available to stop. In a victim impact statement, Smyth's ex-partner said she spent three days in hospital with physical injuries and suffers psychological injuries including nightmares, becomes irritable and emotional and that she has 'been given a sentence with no end'. Smyth was also banned from driving for 10 years. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
