Case No. 2843Dangerous driving causing death · Co. Cork · 11 Feb 2024
Former model Jennifer Thomas jailed for four years for dangerous driving causing death of friend Sheila Dunne in Glanmire, Cork
Jennifer Thomas, 46, a former model from Glanmire, Co Cork, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment and a ten-year driving ban at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for dangerous driving causing the death of her friend Sheila Dunne, 50, in a single-vehicle crash at Sarsfield Court, Glanmire, on 11 February 2024 after consuming 12 alcoholic drinks.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted26 Nov
- Sentenced28 Nov
2 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports48 statements extracted from the articles
- whatJennifer Thomas consumed 12 alcoholic drinks including cocktails, prosecco, wine and gin in the hours before the crash (irishtimes.com)
- whatSheila Dunne was a special needs assistant (irishtimes.com)
- whatSheila Dunne's husband Ted died of Covid in February 2021 (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas had been socialising with Dunne, her friend of more than 20 years, from lunchtime (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas fell asleep behind the wheel twice while stopped at traffic lights in the minutes before the crash (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas did two U-turns in a matter of minutes (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas drove on the wrong side of the road at Hazelwood Road in Glanmire (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas knocked down traffic cones as she drove towards Sallybrook (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas narrowly missed two pedestrians on the footpath (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas took a left-hand bend at Sarsfield Court and failed to straighten up, entering a grass verge (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe Bluetooth system in the car automatically called the emergency services (irishtimes.com)
- whatSpeed was not a factor in the case (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas was wearing her seat belt but Dunne was not (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe impact led Dunne, in the front-passenger seat, to fall on top of Thomas (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe roof had to be cut off the vehicle to extricate the women (irishtimes.com)
- whatWhen shown CCTV, Thomas accepted she was driving (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas said she had no recollection of the crash due to concussion, but there was no medical evidence of concussion (irishtimes.com)
- whatDunne died in hospital two days after the crash (irishtimes.com)
- whatJennifer Thomas, 46, a former model, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Sheila Dunne. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe crash was a single-vehicle incident in which Thomas's SUV mounted a ditch. (irishtimes.com)
- whatDuring her erratic driving, Thomas narrowly missed two pedestrians, knocked down traffic cones, took two U-turns, and drove on the wrong side of the road. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas was shown CCTV footage during garda interviews and then accepted she was driving, claiming no recollection due to concussion, but was found not to have concussion. (irishtimes.com)
- whatShe consumed 12 alcoholic drinks including espresso martinis, prosecco, gin, mimosa and tonic, and wine. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe had fallen asleep behind the wheel twice while stopped at traffic lights. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatDuring her erratic driving she narrowly missed hitting two pedestrians, knocked down traffic cones, took two U-turns, and drove on the wrong side of the road. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe claimed no recollection of the incident due to concussion but was found not to have concussion. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe went for lunch with Sheila Dunne in Douglas, Cork, before the crash. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHer phone was on Bluetooth and auto-contacted emergency services by 999 after the crash. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe crash occurred at Sarsfield Court, Glanmire, Cork (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe crash occurred at Sarsfield Court in Glanmire, Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe crash occurred at Sarsfield Court in Glanmire, Co Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe crash occurred at 7.30pm on 11 February 2024 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe crash occurred on 11 February 2024. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThomas had consumed 12 alcoholic drinks including espresso martinis, Prosecco, gin, mimosa and tonic, and wine. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationDet Garda Mark Durcan gave evidence at the sentencing hearing. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationShe was shown CCTV footage from the night of the crash and then accepted she was driving. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeJennifer Thomas pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Sheila Dunne. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe sentencing hearing was held at Cork Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Helen Boyle. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThomas was jailed for four years and banned from driving for ten years. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceShe was jailed for four years and banned from driving for 10 years. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThomas had previous convictions for road traffic offences and larceny. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThomas has a difficult childhood, a long history of mental health difficulties including depression and anxiety, and made an intentional attempt on her life in October 2024. (irishtimes.com)
- otherSheila Dunne's 23-year-old daughter Lilley Dunne delivered a victim impact statement and now cares for her younger brother TJ, who has autism and is non-verbal. (irishtimes.com)
- otherSheila Dunne was predeceased by her husband Ted in 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- otherSheila Dunne was a Special Needs Assistant (SNA) who was 1.2km from her Glanmire home when the crash occurred. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherSheila Dunne had lost her husband Ted to Covid-19 in February 2021. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherJennifer Thomas had previous convictions for road traffic offences and larceny. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThomas suffers from depression and anxiety and made an intentional attempt on her life in October 2024. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 28 Nov2024Former model jailed for drinking 12 alcoholic drinks and causing death of friend
Sentencing hearing details including evidence of erratic driving, the defendant's initial false assertion that the victim was driving, victim impact statements from the victim's daughter and mother, and the defendant's mental health history.
victim, Sheila Dunne, 50, female, irish (judged from name)Sheila Dunneconvicted, Jennifer Thomas, 46, female, named, irish (judged from name)Jennifer Thomas - 28 Nov2024Former model (46) jailed for four years over crash while drunk which claimed friend’s life
Sentencing hearing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court; Thomas received four years' imprisonment and a ten-year driving ban. Victim impact statements delivered by Sheila Dunne's 23-year-old daughter Lilley and her mother Esther O'Brien.
convicted, Jennifer Thomas, 46, female, named, irish (judged from name)Jennifer Thomasvictim, Sheila Dunne, 50, female, irish (judged from name)Sheila Dunne - 26 Nov2024Former model had 12 alcoholic drinks before crash that caused death of woman, court told
Details the guilty plea hearing: Thomas consumed 12 alcoholic drinks, fell asleep at the wheel twice, did two U-turns, drove on the wrong side of the road, and initially claimed Dunne was driving before accepting she was after seeing CCTV. She had 10 previous convictions. Judge Boyle reserved her decision and Thomas was remanded in custody pending sentencing.
victim, Sheila Dunne, 50, female, irish (judged from name)Sheila Dunneaccused, Jennifer Thomas, 46, female, named, irish (judged from name)Jennifer Thomas