Man who drove at retiree in petrol station was jailed at Tullamore Circuit Court last year

A man who drove at a recently retired man in the forecourt of a petrol station, causing him “catastrophic and life-altering harm”, has been jailed for four and a half years.

Patrick McDonagh (25) clipped Michael Whitfield with his car over four years ago, causing Mr Whitfield to fall backwards and strike his head off the ground, causing life-changing injuries, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

McDonagh had no previous convictions at the time of this incident, but now has 17 previous convictions including for drugs, road traffic offences and criminal damage.

He received a seven-year sentence in June 2025 at Tullamore Circuit Criminal Court for false imprisonment, assault causing harm, threats to kill and burglary. The court heard this related to an incident involving McDonagh and three other men during which an elderly man was assaulted and robbed in February 2024. McDonagh's earliest release date for this sentence is January 2031.

Mr Whitfield (now 66) was in an induced coma for five weeks following the collision and spent 10 months in Beaumont Hospital.

He also spent five months at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, before being transferred to a specialist care setting for people with brain injuries, where he remains a full-time patient. He requires full-time care, can't walk and struggles to speak.

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Aideen Collard BL, prosecuting, told the court that the injured party suffered with hydrocephalus as a child and this is regarded as a factor which has limited his recovery.

The court heard that the injured party enjoyed a normal life despite his underlying conditions, worked as a bookkeeper for 40 years and had taken early retirement to travel.

McDonagh, of St Margaret’s Park, Ballymun, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm at Clonshaugh Road, on November 3, 2021.

He had originally been charged with assault causing serious harm and had taken a trial date but the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted a plea to the current charge.

Sentencing McDonagh on Friday, Judge Elma Sheahan said that if McDonagh had exercised a modicum of consideration and care for Mr Whitfield, this tragedy would have been avoidable.

“There is no explanation as to why he failed to exercise that modicum of care and consideration,” the judge said, noting the incident occurred in “broad daylight” and there was no drink or drugs involved.

She said the harm caused to Mr Whitfield was at the highest level, describing it as “catastrophic and life-altering”.

“His life as he knew it...is now over,” Judge Sheahan said. The victim impact statement before the court was “impressive, informative and very upsetting, all in equal measure”.

The judge set a headline sentence of six years, which she reduced to five years, taking mitigating factors into account. She said this sentence should run consecutive to the seven-year sentence McDonagh is currently serving.

She suspended the final six months on a number of conditions, including that McDonagh remain under the supervision of the Probation Service during this period.

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“Imposing this sentence, I am conscious that any sentence imposed can't restore Mr Whitfield to his previous good health,” she said.

Prosecution counsel told the court the dangerous driving charge arises as McDonagh continued to drive forward for a few seconds at a slow speed without attempting to brake, when the injured party would have been visible to him.

At an earlier sentence hearing, Mr Whitfield’s sister read his victim impact statement into the record.

He said he suffered a severe injury and has had a “prolonged recovery” noting that his pre-existing condition has “decreased his chance of recovery”.

He said he needs people to care for him to manage his day-to-day living.

“Before we crossed paths (referring to his interaction with McDonagh), I was a normal average man, completely self sufficient and would like to think I contributed to Irish society,” Mr Whitfield stated adding that he was never in a physical fight.

He said he was enjoying his “new-found freedom” in retirement and said one of his favourite things to do was take city breaks around Europe.

Mr Whitfield said his life has been “irrevocably changed forever” and detailed his recovery and rehabilitation.

He described the incident as “a sliding doors moment”. “It is not my own legs or car getting me around now. I have no more social life”

He said he struggles with activities now that he used to take for granted.

“This is my life now infinitely until the day I die,” he concluded his statement.

His sister replied to a query from Judge Sheahan if the victim impact statement was Mr Whitfield’s own words.

“It took a long time to put together but yes, it is Michael’s own words,” she replied.

She said in her own statement that the last four years have been “a nightmare” for them but she said she is so proud of her brother.

“Despite all the odds he has continually fought back to be my brother again,” she said.

Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, acknowledged that Mr Whitfield suffered “very, very severe” consequences from the incident “when he should be enjoying the fruits of a lifetime of working productively”.

He said he was instructed by McDonagh to offer his most sincere apologies and handed in a letter of apology to the court. He said in the immediate aftermath McDonagh was “brutally distraught and could not eat or sleep for a week”.

Mr O’Higgins submitted to the court that the injuries visited upon Mr Whitfield were not the likely result from McDonagh’s driving on the day. He said that the prosecution had initially contended they were deliberate acts and charged him with the more serious offence of assault causing serious harm.

Counsel asked the court to take into account that McDonagh had not intended to strike the man and said it was not a case of “ferocious driving or driving under the influence”, rather that his client “clipped” the man causing him to fall.

Mr O’Higgins accepted that McDonagh’s driving “fell below the acceptable standard”.

The court heard that just before 4pm that evening, McDonagh and Mr Whitfield were in the Circle K car park on the Clonshaugh Road at the same time.

CCTV footage captured the two men speaking to each other from their respective cars before Mr Whitfield got out of his car and went around to the boot. McDonagh then reversed out of his car parking space before moving forward to exit the carpark.

His car was adjacent to where the victim was standing behind his car.

He rolled down the window, then threw a carton of chips towards the injured party, which fell on the ground near his feet.

The injured party walked in front of McDonagh's car with his arms outstretched to stop the car moving forward.

McDonagh's car continued forward and its right side struck the injured party, who fell backwards and hit his head on the ground.

McDonagh stopped his car a short distance away. Several members of the public assisted the injured party until emergency services arrived.

McDonagh was breathalysed at the scene and no issues were detected. His driving licence and insurance were in order and when the car was examined, no defects were identified.

When interviewed, McDonagh told gardai that the injured party had made a derogatory comment towards Travellers and he became paranoid, thinking he was trying to get something from the car boot.

McDonagh said he put the car into first gear and the injured party “jumped in front of my car”. He said he threw the food to free his hands for driving and it was not directed towards the injured party.

Ms Collard said two passengers in McDonagh's car gave statements supporting his narrative, but there was nothing particular identifying him or the passengers as members of the Travelling community.

She said that this account was not regarded as credible in the circumstances, and the two passengers were not included as witnesses in the book of evidence.

Prosecuting counsel said that existing civil proceedings are pending the finalisation of criminal proceedings, with compensation required to pay treatment bills, including one for approximately €500,000.