Man (24) found guilty of dangerous driving after friend and cyclist killed in collision

David Raleigh

A man was found not guilty on Friday of endangerment, but guilty of dangerous driving, arising out of a road traffic collision in which the man’s friend and another man were killed.

William Faulkner (24), Caherdavin Heights, Limerick, pleaded not guilty to both charges at his trial in Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

A jury of seven men and five women delivered unanimous verdicts in respect of both charges after they deliberated for a total of 77 minutes Friday.

It was the prosecution’s case that Faulkner and his friend, Patrick O’Reilly, Castletroy, Limerick, had been “racing” one another in their cars just after midnight, between Southill and Hyde Road, on June 26th, 2020.

During the alleged race, O’Reilly (17) died after he lost control of his car, and struck a tree and a male cyclist, killing the rider, Saad Al Werfally (36), a native of Libya.

The fatal double-collision occurred at Hyde Road on the south side of Limerick City.

Prosecuting barrister, John O’Sullivan, instructed by State Solicitor for Limerick City, Padraig Mawe, had told the jury, when the trial opened last Tuesday, that Faulkner drove his car in a manner that was intentionally reckless, including with speed, which created a substantial risk of death or serious injury to other road users.

Faulkner was never accused of causing the deaths of Patrick O’Reilly or Al Werfally, O’Sullivan had told the jury.

The prosecuting barrister had said Faulkner and O’Reilly were each driving a Volkswagen Passat car and they met up in the Southill area of Limerick City around midnight.

O’Sullivan had alleged that Faulkner and Patrick O’Reilly “drove in convoy” together towards the Hyde Road, and that Faulkner was “driving too fast”.

The prosecution barrister had told the jury that Patrick O’Reilly’s car “went to overtake” Faulkner’s car and “lost control of his car, mounted a footpath or kerb and struck and collided with a man who had been cycling”.

“Patrick O’Reilly struck and killed Mr Werfally. Patrick O’Reilly struck a tree, his car effectively wrapped itself around the tree, resulting in the death of Mr Werfally,” said O’Sullivan.

“Very tragically, two men were killed, the cyclist and the youth, Patrick O’Reilly,” said O’Sullivan.

CCTV footage showing the moments leading up to the fatal collision was played in court.

After just over an hour of deliberations the jury returned unanimous verdicts, not guilty of endangerment and guilty of dangerous driving.

Judge Colin Daly remanded Faulkner on continuing bail to appear in court again for sentence on the dangerous driving conviction on July 20th.