Ronan Keating has issued a statement after the driver involved in his brother’s death avoided prison, calling the verdict a “heartbreaking outcome”.
Ciaran Keating, the oldest brother of the former Boyzone singer, was named as the victim of a fatal car crash near Swinford, County Mayo in Ireland in July 2023.
The 57-year-old was travelling with his wife Annmarie to watch their son Ruairí play for Cork City FC in a match against the Sligo Rovers.
Annmarie, who reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries, was unable to attend her husband’s funeral because of her medical condition following the crash.
Now, a 22-year-old man involved in the collision has been handed a 17-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He has also been banned from driving for two years by Judge Eoin Garavan.
Dean Harte, from Tyrrellspass in Westmeath, had pleaded guilty after being charged with careless driving causing death and serious injury.
The court heard how Harte failed to take a bend on a stretch of the N5 between Swinford and Bohola, which is known as an accident black spot (via RTE). His Audi A3 collided headlong with Keating’s Ford Focus, and the latter died at the scene.
Ronan has shared a statement on social media today (February 20) in response to the verdict, writing: “Today’s sentencing was a devastating example of just how broken our justice system is.
“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 happened.”
He continued: “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? It’s a joke and it’s morally corrupt that rather than trying to fix our broken system, they all turn a blind eye.
“Shame on Dean Harte but more-so shame on everyone involved in this process that contributed to the heartbreaking outcome for my family today. The lord himself knows the injustice that was served and the Keating family will never find peace.”
The singer then vowed to “continue to fight for Ciaran’s justice”, adding: “At this time we think of all the other families who have found themselves in our position, and we pray that other families never do.”
According to reports, the court was told that nobody was speeding during the fatal incident. The court heard that several factors may have contributed to the crash, such as damp weather conditions and worn tyres.
However, the court concluded that a lapse in attention was viewed as the key factor in causing the car to swerve across to the other side of the road, and into Ciarán’s oncoming vehicle.
Additionally, the court heard that a Snapchat message had been delivered shortly before the collision, but Harte and the passenger in his car said it was sent a significant amount of time beforehand. The judge said he could not take this into consideration.
Harte was also found to have a trace of cannabis in his system when he was taken to hospital with non-serious injuries.
The judge said there were mitigating factors taken into account during the sentencing, including an early guilty plea and the acceptance of responsibility for the pain caused to the Keating family.
Harte had no previous convictions and no substance abuse issues.
According to The Mirror, Harte’s counsel John Shortt said the crash was “an absolute tragedy”. He explained that Harte had offered a letter, in which he expressed his “genuine remorse”. However, he claimed that the Keating family had rejected the gesture.
In other news, Boyzone are the subject of a new three-part documentary called Boyzone: No Matter What. The series sees their former manager Louis Walsh admit to fabricating stories about the band for press coverage.