ENDA Dolan was already a gifted student, a talented sportsman and a promising guitarist before he was killed at the age of 18 by a drunken driver in Belfast ten years ago this month.
He would have gone on to achieve much more in his chosen fields, but, as we reported yesterday, his legacy continues to make a significant contribution to society through the work of the foundation which bears his name.
It implements a range of fitness programmes for individuals of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, and also brings together young people to encourage and develop their interest in music.
A Run For Enda group has also been successfully established in his home town of Omagh in Co Tyrone, and will send 30 members to raise money for the Air Ambulance charity by taking part in the Dublin marathon this weekend.
Nothing can bring back Enda, but it is essential that anyone who is prepared to risk causing further tragedies through drunken driving is deterred from committing offences through the knowledge that they will face very significant penalties if convicted.
It is impossible to argue that the sentence imposed on David Lee Stewart, who was behind the wheel of the car which killed Enda as he walked home along the Malone Road in Belfast, was a realistic one on the circumstances.
A court heard that Stewart, aged 30 at the time, took at least 13 drinks in a city centre bar before going to a nearby nightclub and then driving a van towards his home on the outskirts of south Belfast.
Tests established that he was more than three times over the legal limit, and also had cocaine in his system, when his vehicle mounted the pavement at speed, striking Enda and carrying him on the roof for some 800 yards before eventually stopping.
Witnesses said they saw Stewart standing close to the student’s body, which was on the road, before he got back into the van, drove from the scene and was involved in another collision a short distance away.
Stewart was initially given a seven-year jail term in 2016, which was increased on appeal to nine years, only half of which was to be served in prison, and he was released in August of 2020.
Strengthened legislation, which would increase the maximum penalty for causing death or serious injury by dangerous driving from 14 to 20 years, is planned, but has been surrounded by delays.
It is ludicrous that Stewart was free again only four years after being sentenced and it is essential that the proposed new measures are approved at Stormont as quickly as possible.
