Innocent car occupants caught up in Traveller family feud

A man has been sentenced to three years in custody at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following a road incident in Lucan that endangered innocent bystanders. Martin Mongan, aged 47, was convicted by jury of endangerment and dangerous driving arising from an incident on Newcastle Road on 6 May 2018. The court heard that Mongan, embroiled in a family feud originating from a violent incident at a Roscommon funeral in 2017, deliberately drove his truck at a van containing family members he was in dispute with. The collision caused the van to strike an uninvolved car with three occupants who had no connection to the parties involved. Judge Patricia Ryan noted the incident occurred in broad daylight and considered aggravating factors including the repeated nature of the driving at the van. The judge stated a custodial sentence was necessary to mark the seriousness of the offence and its effects on the injured parties.