Ronan Keating took to social media to share his heartbreak after the sentencing of the man who was responsible for his brother Ciaran’s death.
Ciaran was tragically killed in a road accident in July 2023 at the age of 57 years old.
This week, Dean Harte was given a 17-month prison sentence suspended for a period of two years. He was also banned from driving for two years.
Now Ronan has shared a statement in the wake of the news.
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“Today’s sentencing was a devastating example of how broken our justice system is. You can kill a man… and you can walk free. Not even a single night in prison,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Just a slap on the wrist and a ticket to carry on with your life, like nothing ever 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.”
He continued by calling out the man by name, before adding: “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.
“We will continue to fight for Ciaran’s justice. 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.”
Ciaran’s sons Conall and Ruairi, as well as his brother Gary, read out a statement at Castlebar Courthouse this week.
“Today’s sentencing was a devastating example of how broken our justice system is. He (Harte) sent a message from his phone while driving at 15.33pm, the first 999 call was 15.37,” they said.
“There’s a serious problem with young men and driving in this country and being on the phone while driving. You can kill a man and walk free, not even a single night in prison . Just a slap on the wrist and a ticket to carry on with your life, like nothing ever happened.
“And then we wonder why we keep seeing this kind of behaviour on our roads, people dying in road accidents across Ireland every week.
“It’s a joke and it’s morally corruptive. 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 who contributed to the heart-breaking outcome for my family today.”
The court heard there were a number of factors which may have contributed to the fatal crash, including damp weather conditions and a worn tyre, according to RTÉ.
The court was told that speeding was not involved and ultimately concluded that it was a lapse in attention that caused the car to swerve onto the other side of the road and into Ciaran’s car.
