The Director of Public Prosecutions has confirmed an appeal against the sentence handed down to Kieran Fogarty for the hit-and-run death of student journalist Joe Drennan in Limerick in 2023.
Fogarty, 21, was sentenced last month to six and a half years in prison for dangerous driving causing death. However, the sentence was ordered to run concurrently with an eight-year prison term he had already received for a firearms offence—meaning he would serve no additional jail time for killing the University of Limerick student.
Joe’s family strongly criticised the ruling, calling it “disgusting” and launching the Justice for Joe campaign to push for tougher sentencing laws. Protests were held in Limerick, Laois, and outside Leinster House, urging the DPP to act.
Following mounting public pressure, the DPP has now confirmed the sentence will be appealed on the grounds that it was too lenient.
Joe’s mother, Marguerite, has also vowed to continue campaigning for legal changes to ensure that multiple sentences for serious crimes, particularly those involving loss of life, must be served consecutively rather than concurrently. “It won’t bring Joe back,” she said, “but it will help other families.”
Since last Thursday, nearly 12,000 people have signed an online petition supporting the proposed legal reform.
