Former PSNI officer jailed for road death

An off-duty police officer who admitted causing the death of a father-of-two by dangerous and drink driving has been sentenced to a nine-year prison term.

Police Constable Eilish MacSherry was at least two times over the legal drink-drive limit and travelling at between 54mph and 83mph on the wrong side of the road when she careered into one car and caused others to swerve before ploughing head-on into Paul Mills’ vehicle.

She had left home clothed only in pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers with no mobile phone or purse, a court heard.

The death of 49-year-old Mr Mills in the October 2015 tragedy “devastated” his family, Dungannon Crown Court was told.

Judge Neil Rafferty, who said road deaths were “a blight” on communities, told PC MacSherry: “It makes it all the more painful that a serving police officer should have known the heartbreak this sort of irresponsible behaviour brings to undeserving families.”

In addition to the prison term, the former Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer, who pleaded guilty to charges ranging from causing death by dangerous driving to drink-driving, was also banned from driving for 15 years.

Frank O`Donoghue QC, defending, apologised on behalf of his client, who claims to remember nothing of being drunk, or of the crash, on the outskirts of Omagh. She has since resigned from the PSNI and given up alcohol.

He said PC MacSherry accepted full responsibility and wanted to offer her deepest regret but said she may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Judge Rafferty read from the victim impact statement given by Anne Mills, the wife of the motorist, in which she recounted the harrowing moment that she had broken the news of his death to their two children.

“I had to go home and tell my two children that their father had been killed – the hardest thing I have had to do in my life and the screams of one and the quiet sobs of the other will stay with me for ever.

“In that moment, their idyllic and carefree childhood was brought to an abrupt end by a person who should not have been driving that night.”

Ciaran Murphy QC, prosecuting, said that had PC MacSherry stopped after a first collision, in which her Saab car sheared off the wing mirror of a Peugeot car, Mr Mills would still be alive.

The court heard the officer was driving towards Dromore, outside Omagh, for no apparent reason.

About half a mile from her home the driver of a Peugeot car reported a black car bearing down on her side of the road, after the car in front swerved to the left.

Other vehicles were also forced to get out of PC MacSherry`s way as she continued down the wrong side of the road. One witness said she was “driving at a wild speed”.

The witness, like others, described hearing a loud bang and seeing “debris and smoke being thrown into the air… like an explosion”, as PC MacSherry`s car smashed head-on into Mr Mills` Toyota Yaris.

The sentence was welcomed by the PSNI. Chief Inspector Jonathan Wilson added: “Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Paul Mills.”