Ronan Keating has blasted a ‘broken justice system’ after his brother’s killer avoided jail.
The Boyzone singer’s brother Ciarán was killed in a car crash in Mayo, Ireland, in July 2023, while travelling to his son’s football match.
Ronan, 47, later spoke about how ‘tough’ the few months since his brother’s death had been and the ‘trauma’ he faced from the loss.
A man involved in the collision has been given a 17-month prison sentence suspended for a period of two years, and has been banned from driving for two years.
Dean Harte was charged with careless driving causing death and serious injury and pleaded guilty.
But Ronan has lashed out at the sentencing, writing on Instagram: 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 your life, like nothing ever happened.’
In his lengthy post, the star 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 rather than trying to fix our broken system, they all turn a blind eye.’
Dad-of-five Ronan added: ‘Shame on Dean Harte but more-so shame on everyone involved in this process that contributed to the heartbreaking outcome of the family today.
‘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.’
Months after Ciaran’s death, Ronan opened up about the grief he’d faced and how his therapy sessions were helping him overcome the trauma, as well as coming to terms with his rapid rise to fame as a teenager.
‘I get my weekly session, I go to a therapist, and what my therapist does is give me the tools to go away and try to understand who I am, and what I’ve been through,’ he explained.
‘Whether it’s trauma like losing my brother, or it’s adoration and all of a sudden that adoration is gone, how to deal with that – all these things, the highs and the lows. Somebody has to teach you how to deal with these things.’
He said it’s been ‘a very tough few months’, but he’d been helped by his siblings Linda, Gerard and Gary.
‘We’re struggling, to be honest, it’s been a tough few months dealing with it because it was so quick, so immediate, so fast, unexpected,’ he said.
‘We’re still figuring it all out. What we are doing is we’re talking to each other, and we have each other to lean on, and that’s really, really important. It’s all about communication and talking about it.’
He added: ‘But also, having somebody who’s going through something that feels the same, that you feel they understand what I’m going through. And that’s a big part of it for a lot of people.’
Ciarán’s funeral was held on July 20 at St Patrick’s Church in Louisburgh, Co Mayo, with Ronan’s fellow Boyzone members in attendance to support their grieving bandmate.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
