The devastation former Special Branch detective Frank Hayes left in his wake was plain for all to see at Court 29 in Dublin's Four Courts yesterday.
As Judge Desmond Hogan handed down a sentence of five years in prison to Hayes, one young woman wept with relief in the body of the court.
Natalie Woods (18) had left a 21st party at Lamb Doyle's pub on the Blackglen Road in Sandyford in the company of her friend Edel Halligan (19) in the early hours of July 24th when they were struck by Hayes's car and thrown into the air.
She had to have part of her skull and brain removed. After Hayes's trial in December, photographs appeared of the teenager in the newspapers which clearly showed that a portion of her skull had been removed. A scar from surgery and her partially-shaved head were also visible.
Yesterday she wore a hat which hid the injuries from the newspaper and television cameras.
She tearfully thanked gardaí who had worked on the case, and hugged her large circle of family and friends who had come to see Hayes sentenced.
Asked if she was happy with the verdict, she replied: "Yes. I thought he was only going to get two years."
However, when asked how long it had taken her to recover from her life-threatening injuries, she replied: "I'm not even recovered yet."
Also in the court yesterday was Joy Geary (71). She was in the passenger seat in her husband Gordon's car when Hayes's vehicle hit them head on.
Ms Geary has since recovered from her injuries, but has been forced to live her life without her husband of 46 years, who died of a heart attack at the scene of the crash.
"I'm glad it's all over," she said of the sentencing, "but it won't bring my husband back."
