He was about to ride the Ring of Kerry Sportive when he was killed in a drunken hit and run. His family has been awarded €900,000 and urged to try and remember the happy times.
€900,000 for family of Irish sportive cyclist killed Paud O'Leary
The family of an Irish cyclist killed while training for a sportive has been awarded €900,000 in the High Court.
Paud O’Leary had left his Kerry home very early on July 1st, 2012, to go for a ride. He was training for the Ring of Kerry Sportive.
A father of four, one of his children has down syndrome. Mr O’Leary was riding the sportive to raise money for the Down Syndrome Association.
In a civil action that concluded in Cork’s High Court yesterday, the victim’s family were awarded €900.000.
Mr Justice Michael Hanna approved the settlement. He wished the O’Leary family well for the future and urged them to try and remember the happy times
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“What happened was an appalling tragedy but it is important to remember happy times too,” Judge Hanna told the family in court.
The man who killed Paud O’Leary while drunk driving fled the scene. He then left the country but was spotted in the UK and the police alerted.
He was put on trial in Ireland, convicted and jailed in April, 2015. He is currently in prison serving five years.
Shane Fitzgerald (26), from Upper Knockeen, Knockduff, Meelin, Newmarket, Co Cork, was convicted three years ago of dangerous driving causing the death of Paud O’Leary.
The 42-year-old father of four died when he was hit by a vehicle while on a training spin at Scrahanfadda, Gneeveguilla, Co Kerry.
Paud O’Leary with his wife Margaret and his children Shannon, Antoinette, Paudie and Ross.
Shane Fitzgerald, above, was drunk driving when he hit Paud O’Leary, who was training for the Ring of Kerry Sportive.
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The dead man’s children are Ross, Paudie, Antoinette and Shannon. They are now aged 13, 14, 17 and 19 years old six years on from their father’s killing.
Antoinette is special needs. Mr O’Leary is also survived by his widow Margaret.
Fitzgerald drank almost all night before getting into his Landcruiser and killing Paud O’Leary.
He died less than 2km from his house as his wife and four young children slept.
The convicted man then left Mr O’Leary in a field; the impact of the collision having driven him through the ditch by the side of the road.
The dead man’s family searched for him before finding his body at lunchtime that day.
Fitzgerald was making plans to travel to England on the run the following day. He then went to Australia within weeks.
He was eventually arrested in the UK. He was about to board a flight back to Australia following a brief trip to England in February of 2014.
He intended to return to his job in the mining industry in Australia. But an Irish person familiar with the case saw him in Cambridge and alerted the authorities.
Fitzgerald was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London the following day. He was trying to catch his Australia-bound flight.
He pleaded not guilty in court and only admitted his crime after conviction.
Fitzgerald also disposed of the vehicle he was driving at the time of the collision. He never told the Garda where it was. The car still remains unaccounted for.
Mr O’Leary was a farmer and school caretaker and trained children in a local GAA club.
A 15-day trial was told Fitzgerald drove a grey Landcruiser from Newmarket to Killarney on June 30th, 2012, and parked in the train station car park.
CCTV showed Fitzgerald going to two pubs before continuing to socialise in a hotel bar until 4.30am.
Fitzgerald then got into his car and drove it out of the car park at 5am. Around 15 minutes later met Paud O’Leary on the road at the spot where his remains were found at 1.15pm that day.
Tests carried out on Mr O’Leary’s bike showed it had been hit by a Landcruiser. Paint taken from the victim’s remains was also linked to the debris at the scene.
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