Ronan Keating hits out after man given suspended sentence over death of brother

By Cate McCurry, PA

Singer Ronan Keating has criticised Ireland’s “broken justice system” after a 22-year-old man escaped a prison sentence for causing the death of his brother in a crash.

Ciaran Keating, who was the older brother of the former Boyzone singer, died in a car crash in Co Mayo in July 2023. His wife Annemarie was also seriously injured in the crash.

Dean Harte, from Tyrellspass in Westmeath, collided with Mr Keating’s car while driving near Swinford in July 2023.

A post shared by Ronan Keating (@rokeating)

He was given a 17-month suspended sentence at Castlebar Circuit Court in Mayo after he pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death.

On the day of the crash, Ciaran and Annemarie had been travelling to watch their son play in a football match for Cork City in Sligo.

Ronan helped carry the coffin of his brother Ciaran during his funeral in Louisburgh in July 2023.

Posting on his Instagram stories, the singer said that the sentencing was a “devastating example” of how “broken our justice system is”.

“You can kill a man… and you can walk free. Not even a single night in prison. Just a slap on the wrist and a ticket to carry on your life, like nothing ever happened,” he said on Thursday.

“And then we wonder why we keep seeing this kind of behaviour on our roads, why people keep dying in road accidents across Ireland every week?

“It’s a joke and it’s morally corrupt that rather than trying to fix our broken system, they all turn a blind eye.

“Shame on Dean Harte but more so, shame on everyone involved in this process that contributed to the heartbreaking outcome for my family.

“The Lord himself knows the injustice that was served and the Keating family will never find peace.

“We will continue to fight for Ciaran’s justice. At this time we think of all the other families who have found themselves in our position, and we pray that other families never do.”