A MAN CHARGED in connection with a hit-and-run collision that left a young nurse dead was high on cannabis and “fast gas”, a court heard today.

The accused, Keelan O’Connell (19), Scanlon Park, Castleconnell, Co Limerick, was charged before Limerick District Court, with dangerous driving causing the death of Aine O’Reilly (33), at N24, Grange West, Boher, Co Limerick, on 13 February last.

O’Connell was also charged with driving without a driving licence, and with driving without insurance at the same location on the same date.

Garda Tony Burke of Henry Street garda station gave evidence that he arrested O’Connell at his home at 7.42am on Thursday, 19 March.

Burke said after he charged and cautioned O’Connell at 6.06pm on Thursday evening, the accused “made no reply”.

Members of Aine O’Reilly’s family and members of O’Connell’s family sat in separate sides of the courtroom during the contested bail hearing.

Aine O'Reilly. RIP.ie RIP.ie

Objecting to bail, Burke alleged that on the night in question, O’Connell was driving a black coloured 2007 registered “high-powered” VW Golf with “excess speed” and he attempted a “dangerous manoeuvre” to undertake a Peugeot car.

Burke alleged O’Connell’s VW Golf collided with the Peugeot forcing the Peugeot into a collision with a Nissan Micra car, which was being driven by Ms O’Reilly.

Burke told the court Ms Reilly, who was on her way to her workplace at the out of hours GP service Shannondoc, suffered “catastrophic injuries” in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Burke said gardaí had harvested dash cam footage from the Peugeot car which showed the fatal collision.

He alleged that O’Connell “fled the scene on foot” along with two occupants from his VW Golf, after it was “significantly damaged”.

Burke also alleged O’Connell “failed to provide assistance” to the other motorists at the scene.

He gave uncontested evidence that, on the day after the fatal collision, O’Connell presented himself to gardaí and admitted being the driver of the car that caused the fatal collision.

Gardaí were later in discussions with O’Connell and formally arrested him on 19 March.

Burke said there was “strong evidence” against O’Connell, which, he said, included independent witnesses, CCTV and dash cam footage.

The court heard uncontested evidence from Burke that O’Connell admitted to gardaí that he is “addicted to smoking cannabis” and that “he was under the influence of cannabis and ‘fast gas’” at the time of the fatal collision.

Burke said it was his belief that O’Connell would, if granted bail, continue to commit “serious offences” due to his “addiction to drugs”.

He said it was also his belief that, if granted bail, the accused would “continue to drive and pose a serious risk to the public” and that he would not answer the charges in court.

Burke agreed with O’Connell’s solicitor, Sarah Ryan, that the accused volunteered himself to gardaí after the collision, and that he had cooperated with the garda investigation.

When it was put to him that O’Connell was not a flight risk, Burke accepted O’Connell was arrested at his home.

In her decision to refuse bail, Judge Patricia Harney said she had to balance that O’Connell, as an accused person, was entitled to the “presumption of innocence” against that he was facing serious charges, “the most serious being dangerous driving causing death in which a young woman lost her life”.

The judge said she was satisfied the bail objection by Burke was “well-founded” and “should be accepted”.

O’Connell was remanded in custody to appear before Limerick District Court via video-link for further directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions on 24 March.