The heartbroken dad of a teenage girl who died in a speeding car has revealed the killer driver never
apologised until he was sentenced.
Katie Murphy was just 16 when she lost her life in the fatal collision in Tramore, Co Waterford, in October 2016.
Edward O’Shea, 19, was jailed for 14 months this week by Judge Eugene O’Kelly for careless driving causing death and banned from the road for six years.
Katie’s father Hilary told how the accused had never said sorry for taking his daughter’s life until his sentencing.
He revealed: “Since the court case we are back to square one. He did what he did and now he’s paid the penalty.
“The letter he gave was basically saying, ‘I apologise to the Murphy family’. We haven’t heard one word from him since this happened.
“There was never a card, a note, never flowers at Christmas or a birthday, he has just completely ignored us.
“There were a number of witnesses living along that road who spoke of the terror when they heard the car coming at such speed.
“And as soon as they got out the car was against the wall.”
O’Shea, from Magnh, Fenor, said he suffers depression, survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder and Hilary told how his family also have the conditions however they were caused by the driver. He also of spoke of his anguish after seeing crews trying to save his girl’s life at the scene.
Hilary told Sean O’Rourke on RTE Radio One: “I got a phone call from a lady who lives maybe 50 yards away from where the crash happened and she just said, ‘You better get out here quick, Katie’s been involved in an accident.
“I tried ringing back to see how bad it was and I didn’t get any answer so I phoned home and [wife] Viv left in her car. We all arrived out at the crash scene at the same time to see Katie being taken out on a board through the back window of the car.
“I went over and had a look at Kate and realised she was gone.
“They took her into the ambulance and the door flew open and I could see that she was being resuscitated.”
Prior to the crash, Katie had shared videos on Snapchat with friends saying they were going over the speed limit and “We’re going to be killed in this car”.
Hilary’s family has set up a safety campaign in memory of his daughter and the judge warned of young drivers using roads as their private race track.
