Man pleads guilty to careless driving causing death of much loved grandmother

A man has pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of a St Johnston grandmother last year.

Livinus Dillon (55) tendered the plea in relation to the incident in which Patricia McBrearty, who was in her 80s, lost her life at Church Street, St Johnston, on August 30, 2024.

Dillon, with an address at The Haw, Churchtown, Carrigans, spoke only to confirm a guilty plea when he appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court.

He was charged with driving a vehicle without due care and attention, causing the death of Mrs McBrearty. Mr Sean McGee BL, barrister for Dillon, instructed by solicitor Mr Rory O’Brien, asked that sentencing be adjourned. Mr McGee sought the preparation of a probation and welfare report and asked that legal aid be extended to cover a psychiatric report.

Judge John Aylmer consented to the requests and the case was adjourned until the February 2026 sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court.

At her funeral in St Baithin’s Church, St Johnston, last September, Ms McBrearty, a mother-of-three and grandmother-of-four, was remembered as a “kind human being”.

Man pleads guilty to careless driving causing death of much loved grandmother was last modified: October 30th, 2025 by Staff Writer

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