A FATHER OF five was “steaming drunk” when he drove his car into the path of a truck, killing the driver, his trial heard.

Niall O’Halloran, 57, was remanded into custody this evening after he was found guilty by a jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court of dangerous driving causing the death of father-of-two Arturs Birznieks.

The jury also found O’Halloran, of Woodfield drive, Newcastle West, Co Limerick, guilty of driving while intoxicated.

The seven men and five women jurors returned unanimous verdicts after just over an hour deliberating.

What the jury were not told at the trial for legal reasons, and which can now be revealed, was that O’Halloran had a previous conviction for drink-driving at Rathkeale District Court in 2011, for which he was given a three-year road ban and fined €400.

O’Halloran’s trial heard he was probably six times over the legal limit when he drove into the path of Birznieks’ truck, at N69, Reens East, Ardagh, Co Limerick, at 2.50am, 18 March, 2022.

A blood sample taken from O’Halloran in hospital four hours after the fatal collision, had returned a certified reading of 179mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, indicating he was at that stage still more than three times the legal limit.

Gardai told the court Birznieks had “no chance” of survival. After the initial collision with O’Halloran’s car, Birznieks’ truck hit a wall in a follow up collision.

The truck driver’s cab was then sandwiched by the truck’s heavy load trailer, which was torn off in the first collision and had jackknifed into Birznieks’ cab.

O’Halloran’s car was sheared in half in the initial collision, and he likely survived as he was wearing a seat-belt, the court heard.

O’Halloran claimed in garda interviews that Birznieks’ truck had veered into his path prior to the collision. He claimed he had flashed his car lights at the tuck but that it did not change its trajectory.

After the verdicts were read out, O’Halloran shook his head in disagreement.

Judge Simon McAleese told O’Halloran: “Mr O’Halloran, your driving and your drinking killed a man.”

“Putting it politely you seem to be in denial about your wrongdoing, your appalling, egregious dreadful behaviour,” said the judge.

Judge McAleese passed on his “sympathies” to Birznieks’ family and said they had lost a loved one to O’Halloran’s “drink fuelled dangerous driving”.

“Mr O’Halloran’s conduct is utterly inexcusable and deplorable, and if ever there was a case worthy of a remand in custody, this is such a case,” added Judge McAleese.

The trial heard O’Halloran was vague in his recollection of how much alcohol he had consumed prior to the fatal crash, and he told gardai he believed he may have consumed one or two beer shandies, in the day leading up to the fatal collision.

In her closing speech to the jury, prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley, instructed by state solicitor Brendan Gill, said it was “clear” O’Halloran had been “steaming drunk” and “he couldn’t see straight” at the time.

Buckley said emergency services workers who attended at the scene had said they smelled alcohol off O’Halloran and that his speech was slurred.

O’Halloran told investigating gardai following his arrest that he did not consider a beer shandy to be an alcohol drink.

O’Halloran also told gardai the result of his alcohol blood test was “irrelevant” and had “nothing to do” with the fatal collision.

The court also heard that when investigating Gardai put it to O’Halloran that he had been drunk at the time of the collision, he replied “I couldn’t care less”.

When gardai put it to O’Halloran that Birznieks had died, he replied to the officers: “I have enough to deal with my own injuries.”

Buckley had told the jury O’Halloran was “full of drink” when he drove into the path of Birznieks’ truck.

“Niall O’Halloran says he wasn’t drunk, he was; that has been proven,” said Buckley.

O’Halloran’s barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas had argued that O’Halloran had consistently maintained that it was Birznieks’ truck that had veered into his path.

Following the verdicts, O’Halloran, who had been on bail throughout his trial, was immediately remanded in custody to Limerick Prison.

O’Halloran’s sentence date will be finalised in April.