'Injustice was served': Singer Ronan Keating slams sentence given to driver who caused crash that killed his older brother

Ciaran Keating was travelling with his wife to watch their son play football in July 2023 when their car was hit head-on by Dean Harte's car after the Audi A3 veered onto the wrong side of the road.

The 22-year-old driver was given a 17-month suspended sentence for a period of two years at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday (February 19).

The former Boyzone singer, aged 47, has blasted the punishment on behalf of his family. He posted on Instagram: “Today's sentencing was a devastating example of just 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 with your life, like nothing ever happened.

He went on: "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 today."

The 'Life is a Rollercoaster' singer vowed to "continue to fight" for justice. He added: "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."

Ronan, who has Jack, 25, Missy, 23, and Ali, 17, with ex-wife Yvonne, and Cooper, seven, and Coco, five, with wife Storm, previously admitted his brother's death made him reevaluate his priorities and take a step back from working so much.

He told OK! magazine: "That was the turning point in all of our lives. [My wife] Storm and I probably pushed ourselves and worked a little too hard this year, so now we can back off from work. We're assessing life. It has been a very tough 12 months."

Ciaran Keating was in his 50s when he died in a car crash in County Mayo, in the West of Ireland, on July 15 2023. His wife Annemarie was also seriously injured in the crash. They 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.