Ciaran Keating, the brother of Boyzone star Ronan, was killed and his wife Annemarie seriously injured when an Audi driven by Dean Harte collided with the couple’s car near Swinford, Co Mayo, in July 2023
Ciaran Keating, the brother of Boyzone star Ronan, was killed and his wife Annemarie seriously injured when an Audi driven by Dean Harte collided with the couple’s car near Swinford, Co Mayo, in July 2023.
Court filings seen by the Sunday World show that Mrs Keating lodged a personal injuries case against Harte in the High Court on October 23.
Solicitors Sheehan and Company also filed a statutory declaration confirming they had advised their client regarding the possibility of mediation in the case.
Ronan with Ciaran
In February of this year, at an emotional court hearing in Castlebar, 22-year-old Harte was given a 17-month suspended sentence for careless driving causing death.
In an impact statement read out in court, the Keating family said their lives were shattered and they would never forgive and never forget what happened.
On the day of the crash, Annemarie was travelling with her husband to see their son Ruairí play for Cork City FC in Sligo.
Dean Harte’s careless driving led to the crash
News in 90 Seconds – Sunday, November 9th
The court heard how Dean Harte failed to take a bend on a stretch of the N5 between Swinford and Bohola. His Audi A3 crashed headlong into Ciarán Keating’s Ford Focus and the 57-year-old man died at the scene.
The court was told nobody was speeding during the incident.
The court heard there were a number of factors which may have contributed to the fatal crash, including damp weather conditions and worn tyres.
But the court concluded that a lapse in attention was seen as the key factor in causing the car to swerve across to the other side of the road and into the oncoming car driven by Ciarán Keating.
The court also heard of a Snapchat message delivered shortly before the crash but Dean Harte and the passenger in his car said it was sent a significant amount of time before that and the judge said he could not take it into consideration.
Dean Harte was later found to have a trace of cannabis in his system when he taken to hospital with non-serious injuries.
Family members carry Ciaran Keating’s coffin
In a victim impact statement delivered by Conall Keating on behalf of Annemarie, he fought back tears as he spoke of his mother’s sleepless nights, depression, physical scars and the scars of survival.
“Ciarán was the love of my life and the beat of my heart,” Mrs Keating said. “Our once happy home is now a place of desolation.
“There is a sadness in me that never goes away. This nightmare is forever in my head.”
Conall also read a statement on behalf of his sister Aisling who said she struggled to get out of bed in the morning and would never be walked down the aisle by her father.
She said Dean Harte represented a particular demographic when it came to causing road deaths.
She said the Keatings have been handed a life sentence while Dean Harte gets a slap on the wrist.
Judge Eoin Garavan said there were mitigating factors taken into account in the sentencing including an early guilty plea and the acceptance of responsibility for the devastation caused.
Harte had no previous convictions and no substance abuse issues. The judge also said he was actively involved in the GAA in Tyrellspass and was in gainful employment.
The judge handed down a 17-month suspended sentence for the lesser offence of careless driving causing death and disqualified him from driving for two years.
In a statement after the verdict, Ruairi Keating said: “The Keating family are surprised and hugely disappointed with the sentence and hope and expect the DPP to appeal the lenience 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 careless actions.”
Ronan Keating also issued a separate statement in which he said: “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 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?”