A judge has jailed a notorious rapist for a ‘bizarre, criminal, appalling and dangerous” driving rampage through the streets of Ennis where Eddie Casey crashed into six cars including one being driven by a woman who was eight and a half months pregnant.
The 53-year old Limerick criminal was banned from driving for 20 years in 2005 but on a sunny evening in Ennis last June (2015), Casey evaded capture from Gardai in a car chase across Ennis’s streets before crashing his blue Nissan Primera into two cars when driving up the wrong way down the one-way O’Connell Street in Ennis town centre.
Mr Casey of Park View Court, Lord Edward Street, Limerick was jailed for 11 years in 2006 for the aggravated sexual assault and assault causing harm to a female Galway student in September 2004.
Casey’s 23 year old victim was walking through the Loch a' tSaile area of the city when Casey dragged her into a grassy bank and sexually assaulted her and she told the Central Criminal Court her life "was ripped in shreds by the hand of a stranger”.
During the driving rampage in Ennis on June 14th, Mr Casey crashed into a red Vauxhall people carrier being driven by the heavily pregnant woman as she was turning right into a garage forecourt on Ennis’s Mill Rd.
Mr Casey then broke through a red light and drove up Carmody Street before taking a left into the Market and proceeded onto Barrack Street.
Det Garda Frank Browne said that it was a sunny evening and there were people sitting at tables outside the Gourmet Store restaurant on Barrack Street who had to take evasive action as Mr Casey crashed into a nearby Ford Focus, Citroen Berlingo and a 06-registered BMW.
He said that Mr Casey continued along Barrack Street before taking a left to go the wrong way down the one way O’Connell Street where he crashed into two more cars before Gardai apprehended Casey after he fled the scene by foot.
Gardai were earlier alerted to Mr Casey on the day after Casey told a Garda to ‘fuck off’ and sped away when asked for his driver’s licence at Ballyvaughan.
Det Browne said that Mr Casey may have been suffering withdrawal symptoms from heroin on the day. He said that no person was injured on the day.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan said that Mr Casey’s “absolutely appalling driving” had put “so many lives potentially in danger” and praised the Gardai for their courage and expertise in putting a stop to Mr Casey.
Insp John O’Sullivan told the court that Casey has 89 previous convictions including eight for dangerous driving and eight for drink driving.
Jailing Mr Casey for 17 months and banning him from driving for 10 years for the Ennis incident and a separate dangerous driving incident in south east Clare in September 2013, Judge Durcan said that Mr Casey has ‘a horrific record’ for road traffic offences.
A separated man, Mr Casey told the court that he had four children, but now has three after his youngest, Shauna died at the age of 16. Solicitor for Mr Casey, Patrick Moylan said that Shauna took her own life.
Mr Casey said that one son, Stephen (O’Sullivan) (24) is serving a sentence for manslaughter at the Midlands prison with a second son, Eddie (O’Sullivan) (25) is currently serving three years at Limerick while a daughter, Belinda (O’Sullivan) (23) is on a drug rehabilitation programme for heroin addiction.
Dressed in women’s clothing and a wig in an attempt to disguise himself, Stephen O’Sullivan shot Mark Moloney dead in Limerick on April 5th 2008.
A member of the Dundon McCarthy gang, Stephen O’Sullivan was jailed in 2010 for 15 years for the manslaughter.
Judge Durcan was only made aware of the detail of Mr Casey's driving convictions in court and was not informed of the rape conviction.
Mr Moylan said that there have been four suicides in Mr Casey's family while he spent his formative years in three industrial schools in Galway and Dublin.
Addressing Mr Casey, Judge Duncan said: "I am very sorry that you have had to endure what you have endured in your life.
He said: “The facts outlined are terrible and I am very sorry in your life to date that you have had the extent of bad experience that you have had.
“It is appalling that you have had to undergo what you have had to undergo – I am sorry that you have had so much tragedy in your life."
