A MAN from Gorey, Co Wexford, has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run in which a young woman was killed in the town on Sunday morning.
It is understood the man went voluntarily to Gorey Garda station yesterday for questioning in connection with the crash.
Gardaí spent much of Sunday viewing closed circuit television footage from a number of premises in the town. A burnt-out Mazda 626 was removed from the Kilnahue Lane area, about 1½ miles southwest of the town. It was taken to Gorey Garda station for forensic examination.
Kelly Gregan (20), who had been studying art in Limerick, was killed when she was struck by a car on Main Street, Gorey, at about 2.30am on Sunday. The car failed to stop. Her friend, Gillian Fitzgerald, was hurt in the crash but her injuries are said to be not life-threatening.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission also sent a team of investigators who spent much of Sunday at the crash scene. This investigation, which is ongoing, had been required because the suspect vehicle had come to the attention of gardaí in the moments before the crash.
It is understood the ombudsman’s investigators were told the Garda car was not in pursuit of the suspect vehicle at the time of the crash.
A spokesman for the commission said investigators had decided to temporarily withdraw to allow gardaí to complete the “more urgent and grave” investigation into the fatal crash. He said this was not unusual practice. The ombudsman’s inquiries would be focused more on what happened in the moments before the crash collision. The file remains open.
Gardaí also spent much of Sunday taking statements from a large number of people who were on Main Street at the time of the crash. Some of these people had left the O2 Nightclub at about the same time as Ms Gregan and Ms Fitzgerald.
Following the taking of statements and the viewing of CCTV footage, gardaí said they were in a position to follow a definite line of inquiry. It is understood they visited a local address in order to conduct their investigation, but a key witness was not available to them.
A man in his 30s presented himself later at Gorey Garda station to answer questions. He was subsequently arrested under section 4 of the Offences against the State Act.
The Gregan family had been due to celebrate a birthday remembrance Mass for Ms Gregan’s father, Richard, on Sunday morning, just hours after the crash. Mr Gregan died in August 2008.
Locals offered prayers for Ms Gregan’s family, her mother Pauline and younger sisters Kirsty (18) and Lauren (12).
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy carried out a postmortem on the body at Waterford Regional Hospital before it was released to Murphy’s Funeral Home in Gorey yesterday. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced later.
In Gorey, locals continued to leave flowers at traffic lights at the busy junction about two-thirds of the way along the street. Some stood in prayer.
Local councillor Malcolm Byrne said that Gorey was in shock. “Our sympathies go out to the family and the family of the injured woman.
“It is terrible that this should happen on a bank holiday weekend when people go out to enjoy themselves, but they never expect something like this to happen,” he added.
