4 days ago
Ronan Keating calls for stronger fatal car crash sentences and voices his 'disappointment over broken system' after man who caused death of his brother avoids prison
Ronan Keating has called for stronger sentences for fatal road traffic offences in the Republic of Ireland following the death of his older brother.
The singer, 48, voiced his 'disappointment over Ireland's broken system' after a man escaped a prison sentence for causing Ciaran's death.
Ciaran died in the car crash in July 2023 as he travelled with his wife to watch their son play football.
Dean Harte, 22, was given a 17-month suspended sentence for a period of two years at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
Ronan told RTÉ's Drivetime: 'What happened to Ciaran, the injustice, the heartbreak, the devastating impact it has, and not just on Ciaran's siblings, but on his children, his grandchildren, his wife.'
In relation to the suspended sentence handed to Harte, Ronan added: 'All of the pain and the hurt is in losing somebody. This is just disgusting. It's awful - this situation.
'You can't get angry. You're floored. You're disappointed. The system is broken.
'As a family, we don't want to send some 22-year-old kid to jail. We don't want to see some kid go to jail whose life is going to be thrown away. That's not what we're looking for.
'But what we're looking for is to make sure somebody else doesn't die because of careless driving. That some other family's life is not going to be ripped apart.'
Ciaran's son Conall said he would like to see 'credible deterrents' for drivers against careless and dangerous driving, adding that Ireland could 'pioneer' solutions around tracking speeding and phone use within cars.
Asked if still believed the justice system was broken, Ronan Keating said the family had not seen any evidence of change since the sentencing.
'It's up to us now, the family, to try to do something about it. We won't let this lie.'
Ciaran's brother Gerard said his confidence in the investigatory system was 'rocked' after he found an impacted door of the car in a ditch 10 metres from the crash site two days later.
Ronan added that the discovery of the door should have been made by An Garda Siochana.
He explained: 'There are many questions, many questions. We have so many questions, but we're just a family. We're just another family that have been scarred by this broken system.
'Ger went there and was doing a job that the police force here in Ireland should be doing. It should have been covered with a fine-tooth comb.'
Gerard also told the programme that he was left with questions in the judicial system, adding that the family was 'scarred'.
In February, Ronan called for the 'lenient' sentence of a man who caused the death of his brother in a car crash to be appealed.
Taking to Instagram, Ronan shared a statement from the Keating family where he shared their surprise and disappointment at the leniency of the sentence.
Ronan said the family will be seeking for Harte's sentence to be appealed as they 'rightfully fight for justice' to put a stop to reckless driving.
He wrote: 'The Keating family are surprised and hugely disappointed with the sentence and hope and expect the DPP to appeal the leniency of it.
'We will be encouraging the DPP to appeal and rightfully fight for justice. Not only for Ciaran and our family, but for all of those killed on Irish roads and at the hands of someone else's selfish actions.
'The only way to stop reckless driving and encourage people (especially youth) to abide by the law, is to enforce consequences for not doing so.'
Ronan captioned the statement: 'No family should ever have to make an official statement of this nature, we thank you for your time and patience while we digested and composed ourselves after the upsetting events that transpired yesterday.'
Ciaran, who was in his 50s and from Louisburgh, Ireland, suffered fatal injuries as he was travelling at around 3.35pm with his wife on the N5 near Swinford, Co Mayo, on a stretch of road known as a black-spot for accidents.
Ronan took to Instagram and posted his son speaking to Irish news channel RTE as he said: 'Today's sentencing was a devastating example of just how broken our justice system is.
'You can kill a man... and you can walk free. Not even a single night in prison. Just a slap on the wrist and a ticket to carry on with your life, like nothing ever happened.
'And then we wonder why we keep seeing this kind of behaviour on our roads, why people keep dying in road accidents across Ireland every week?
'it's a joke and it's morally corrupt that rather than trying to fix our broken system, they all turn a blind eye.'
He continued: 'Shame on Dean Harte but more-so shame on everyone involved in this process that contributed to the heartbreaking outcome for my family today.
'The Lord himself knows the injustic that was served and the Keating family will never find peace.
'We will continue to fight for Ciaran's justice. At this time we think of all the other families who have found themselves in our position, and we pray that other families never do.'
Dean was travelling with a work colleague to Westport when his Audi A3 veered onto the wrong side of road and smashed head on with Ciaran's Ford Focus.
He died at the scene, at Ballymiles between Swinford and Bohola.
Ciaran was going to see son Ruairí play an Irish Premier League match.
Ciaran's son Ruairí started the match for Cork against Sligo Rovers, but was taken off at halftime.
The crash came 24 hours before Ruairí's 28th birthday. The forward has played for Irish teams Sligo Rovers and Galway United as well as English side Torquay United.
In a statement Cork City FC said: 'All at Cork City FC are deeply saddened at the passing of Ciaran Keating, father of our player Ruairí Keating.
'We extend our deepest sympathies to Ruairí and the entire Keating family at this exceptionally difficult time. May he rest in peace.
'We ask that the family's privacy be respected at this difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be confirmed in due course.'
Ciaran is believed to have worked as a car salesman and previously ran a bar.
Councillor John O'Malley offered his condolences and said: 'Everyone is shocked and saddened by the awful news.
'He was highly regarded by all who knew him here and we are thinking of his wife and children and his extended family.'
The League of Ireland also expressed its condolences to the Keating family.
A tweet said: 'The League of Ireland is deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Ruairi Keating's father Ciaran.
'We would like to send our condolences to Ruairi and his family and all at @CorkCityFC at this very difficult time.'
Ciaran's wife, who was in the front seat of the car during the crash, was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries and was unable to attend his funeral due to her condition.
Dean pleaded guilty after being charged with careless driving causing death and serious injury.
Alongside his suspended sentence, he was also banned from driving for two years by Judge Eoin Garavan.
Before imposing sentence, Judge Garavan said there was no evidence of intoxication, no speed issues and 'no egregious example of earlier dangerous driving'.
While the court heard there had been no evidence of phone activity on Dean's part at the time of the crash, he had dispatched a WhatsApp message a short time earlier.
Evidence was also given that showed there were trace elements of cannabis in the driver's blood.
Dean told Irish police at the time that he had consumed cannabis at a party a couple of nights before.
His counsel described the accident as 'an absolute tragedy' and said the life of the Keating family had been changed forever.
He said it can be difficult for the bereaved to accept an apology but a letter from Harte expressing genuine remorse had been offered but, perhaps understandable, had been been rejected.
Impact statements on behalf of Ciaran's wife and her family were read out at the hearing by son, Conall.
She wrote: 'Ciaran was the love of my life and the beat of my heart. I will never get over this and be the same again.'
