‘Magnificently Magnanimous’: Woman dragged by car thief in County Roscommon prays for him every day

A 72-year-old woman who was dragged to the ground when her car was stolen in 2023 has told Roscommon Circuit Court that she prays every day for the man who did it.

Patrick Harty (52), of Rossmanagher, Sixmilebridge, County Clare, appeared before Judge Kenneth Connolly, who heard evidence of two separate incidents involving the unauthorised taking of vehicles, two counts of driving without a licence and one count of dangerous driving.

Mr Harty, who is serving a prison sentence with an expiry date of April 2028, received a consecutive three-year sentence for the offences before the court.

Detective Garda David McDonnell told the court how, on November 4th, 2023, the woman, who was 70 at the time, had parked her red Volkswagen Fox at the Lidl car park in Castlerea, at approximately 5 p.m. before going in to buy groceries.

When she returned, she placed the groceries in the car, got in and began to drive towards the exit. It was then that Mr Harty flagged her down, telling her she had a flat tyre.

When the woman exited the vehicle to check the wheels, Mr Harty got into the car and started to drive away. The woman grabbed the handle of the door but was dragged to the ground.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, by state prosecutor Sean O’Quigley BL, the woman said she had told the ambulance crew that, on a scale of one to ten, her pain levels were at ten after the incident. She was hospitalised and treated.

“I later found out my arm was fractured. I had an awful lot of bruises and the skin on the palm of my left hand was all torn,” she said, adding that she couldn’t use a knife and fork for some time after the incident.

“Since then, I always lock my car when I get in. I bought that car new. It had sentimental value as I brought my late mother lots of places in that car. I pray for the man who did this every day. God loves him,” she concluded.

Mr Harty was charged with unauthorised taking of a vehicle, driving without a licence and dangerous driving in relation to that incident.

The woman’s car was recovered a number of months later in Northern Ireland. Her handbag was found by a member of the public near the Mayo border, with her purse and medication missing.

An earlier incident, on September 28th, 2023, was the subject of two other charges on the indictment - a second unauthorised taking of a vehicle, and a second count of driving without a licence.

Detective Garda McDonnell told the court that, on that date, the injured party, a male, left the keys in the ignition of his Nissan Almera in Castlerea, while he went into the shop. CCTV footage showed Mr Harty in the doorway of a hotel as the car parked up, followed by the accused getting into the car and driving it away.

The car was left in Ballinasloe and removed to Galway where a forensic investigation took place. The owner of the car chose not to furnish a victim impact statement to the court.

Of his 233 previous convictions, a total of 74 were for theft-related crimes, three for burglary, and 18 for unauthorised taking of vehicles Patrick Reynolds BL, defending, told the court that his client is currently serving a prison sentence and is due for release in April 2028.

“The court has the power to extend that, but that is, to an extent, the easy option. It is essentially throwing away the key,” he said, requesting the judge consider a sentence structured to “give him another chance”.

These crimes were “very unpleasant” and “immensely unpalatable”, Judge Connolly stated, noting that the counts relating to the theft of the Nissan Almera “might well have been opportunistic” as Mr Harty was “heavily intoxicated”.

“But the second incident was premeditated and executed without compassion. He stalked the vehicle, waited for the owner to come back, viewed the owner and knew he was dealing with a female of slightly advanced years and a slight frame,” he said.

“He waited again until she was exiting and approached the car. It is magnificently magnanimous and charitable that she should say ‘I pray for the man who did this every day’. And maybe he does need some prayers as he’s had a difficult life with alcohol.” 

He noted the previous convictions for unauthorised taking of a vehicle, and “a myriad of others” as further aggravating factors in the case, and set a headline sentence of four years and eight months in respect of the unauthorised taking of the woman’s car, marking all other charges as taken into consideration.

However, he took into consideration a number of mitigating factors, including a guilty plea, some limited cooperation with gardaí, a well-written apology, and the fact he had an offer of €2,000 in compensation.

After mitigation, he reduced the sentence to one of three years and six months, making it consecutive to the expiration of the sentence Mr Harty is currently serving.

Finally, taking into account the totality principle, he further reduced the sentence to three years, suspending the final six months for two years on the condition that Mr Harty abstain entirely from alcohol and intoxicants. He also disqualified him from driving for a period of ten years.

*Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.