A former garda has been jailed for six years, following a hit-and-run which caused the death of a hurling coach, two years ago.
28 year old Michael Ball, who was a serving member of An Garda Síochána stationed in Drogheda at the time, admitted dangerous driving, which caused the death of Niall McEneaney, who was walking home near his home along the Rathmullen Road in Drogheda.
Mr Ball, originally from Middletown, Malin Head in Donegal, was drinking after work, before collecting his car from the garda station car park. He had been travelling to where he was staying in Donore, when his car hit Mr McEneaney. He also admitted to failing to keep his vehicle at the scene.
The garda was later suspended from duty following the accident, subsequently resigning from the force.
Passing down his sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court, Mr Ball's behaviour was described as below the standards of a member of An Garda Síochána or any member of society.
Judge Dara Hayes said that Mr Ball had left the victim to “die on the side of the road, metres from his home”.
Niall McEneaney was described as a talented sportsman and hurler, who also coached the St Fechins' club to two county championship titles in 2022 and 2023. The judge called his death needless and avoidable, and said it was a monumental loss.
The judge also mentioned a "powerful" victim impact statement from Mr McEneaney's wife, Grace Martin. He also extended his sympathies to Mr McEneaney's family.
Last month, it was heard in court that Mr McEneaney had died after being hit by Mr Ball's car on Rathmullen Road at around 2am on 17 March, 2024.
It was also revealed by Fiosrú officer, Alma Gavin that Mr Ball had acknowledged drinking on the night in 2024, and was driving up to twice the speed limit before the accident. She said that Mr McEneaney suffered horrific injuries from the crash, and was found dead by the first gardaí on the scene.
Mr Ball's licence plat was found along the road from the crash, with investigators then going to the home in which he was "couch surfing" with garda colleagues, the court was told.
The car was discovered parked up a small hill, along the farmyard, with the damaged front of the car parked right up against the gate.
Mr Ball was found in a "comatose sleep" inside his home at around 4.20am, clearly intoxicated when he was awoken. It was told in court that when he was cautioned and asked if he was driving the car, he replied "I don't know".
Gardaí said he had been travelling between 107km/h and 110km/h before the accident, and started to brake 0.24 seconds before the impact, which reduced his speed to between 86km/h and 109km/h, on a road where the speed limit is 50km/h.
While the judge did acknowledge that the defendant did not intend to kill Mr McEneaney on the night in question, he did choose to drink and drive, leading to tragic and fatal consequences. He said that Mr Ball should not have been behind the wheel.
Investigating Gardaí involved in the case were also praised for doing their duties that night "without fear or favour".
Mr Ball received a four and half year prison sentence for dangerous driving, causing death, along with two and a half years for leaving the scene. The final 12 months were suspended, with the sentence being backdated to May 5, when Mr Ball was first taken into custody.
He was also issued with a 12 year ban from driving.
Speaking on his behalf, Senior Counsel, Rod O'Hanlon said that Mr Ball had written a letter of apology, expressing "genuine remorse" and entered an early plea of guilty. He also found the stress of dealing with feuds in Drogheda difficult to deal with.
The court also received a number of character references from the defendant's mother and aunt, as well as the mother of his daughter.
Mr Ball had acknowledged his role in the crash in a statement submitted to Gardaí back in 2024, where he said he saw a man running across the road, but he did not have chance to avoid the crash as it happened so suddenly.
He also said he was "filled with remorse" and hugely regretted not stopping.
He also told Gardaí that he did not stop out of "sheer panic" and that he had "no answer" as to why he did not stop to assist Mr McEneaney.
In her statement, Grace Martin said her late husband, Mr McEneaney was her "eternal best friend", and the incident left her life "torn in half", and has left an “enormous void in her life”.
“Michael Ball stole a huge part of me when he killed my husband", she said. “I never got a chance to say goodbye, I miss him everyday".
“I feel like I’m losing my mind, I’m angry, heartbroken, I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again".
Turning to Ball, Grace Martin labelled him as a "coward", and asked: “What made you decide to train as a garda?".
