A WOMAN has received a six months’ suspended sentence after she drove away with a woman on the bonnet of her car who had been chasing her after the driver stole the woman’s daughter’s bag and iPhone.
Pauline Crowley (48) of 2 Ard na Gréine, Courtmacsherry previously pleaded guilty to several charges including theft, dangerous driving and assault causing harm to Regina Forsythe. She appeared at Clonakilty District Court last week for the production of a probation report and sentencing.
The incident occurred on July 12th 2023 when a bag belonging to a 12-year-old child was taken from Dunmanway Playground. It contained her iPhone and €540 in cash which the child had planned to lodge
in a bank.
The court previously heard that the child’s mum, Ms Forsythe used the iPhone tracker app to trace the phone and found the bag in the boot of Ms Crowley’s Volkswagen Passat car.
She confronted the defendant and ended up on the bonnet of the car while Ms Crowley drove off with three children in the back seat. Due to traffic works she caught up with the defendant and rang 999.
Ms Crowley later threw out the child’s bag at a graveyard but the money was not present. A previous victim impact statement from the girl heard that the incident was so traumatic for her that she refuses to go back to the playground after witnessing her mum being ‘dragged around like a ragdoll.’
At last week’s court sitting, a letter written by Ms Crowley was read out by Judge James McNulty. She said she ‘feel so ashamed’ of the person she became that day’ and offered her deepest apologies to the injured parties.
Judge McNulty noted that they didn’t think there was any point meeting her but accepted the letter of
apology.
Defence solicitor, Eamonn Fleming, said her client had €1,400 in court and has previously paid back the €540 taken by her. He said she had never been in trouble before and this was her first
offence.
‘Her personal history does not make for pleasant reading and she endured a number of abusive relationships. She had worked and continues to do so,’ said Mr Fleming.
‘She doesn’t know what happened to her and something snapped that day. She has been co-operative and her letter of apology is from the heart and she has brought €1,400 to court as compensation.’
Judge McNulty noted that Ms Crowley went to the gardaí after the incident and made a false complaint about Ms Forsythe going into
her car.
He said the whole incident was ‘gravely wrong’ and ‘grossly irresponsible and dangerous’ to have someone on the bonnet of a car as she tried to evade her.
However, he noted several mitigating factors including her guilty plea, her remorse, compensation paid and no previous convictions.
Judge McNulty convicted and sentenced her to six months in prison for causing harm to Ms Forsythe but suspended it for two years and directed her to pay €1,000 to her.
He convicted and fined her €500 for dangerous driving and disqualified her from driving for two years. He also convicted and fined her €400 for the theft of the bag.
The judge said that she will be placed under the supervision of the probation services for one year as part of her suspended sentence.
Recognisances for an appeal were fixed in the defendant’s own bond of €100 with no cash required.
