Breaking: Accused pleads not guilty to dangerous driving causing death of Paudie Palmer

By Olivia Kelleher

A MAN who has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of GAA commentator Paudie Palmer allegedly told friends that he had consumed alcohol and left the scene of an accident, his trial has heard.

Mr Palmer, the hugely popular 65-year-old broadcaster with C103/96FM and a judge of the Southern Star Sports awards, died on January 8th, 2023 at Cork University Hospital.

He passed away following a collision which occurred at Dunkereen Crossroads, near Innishannon days after Christmas, on December 29th, 2022.

Bohdan Bezverkhyi of Rigsdale House, Rigsdale, Ballinhassig, has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Palmer at Dunkereen Cross in Innishannon on December 29th, 2022.

The 33-year-old Ukrainian man pleaded guilty to other charges relating to the same incident, including that he failed to report the incident to gardai, failed to offer assistance to the injured person, failed to stop and that he left the scene of the crash.

Mr Bezverkhyi also pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving in a separate incident in Curraheen in Co Cork on December 28th, 2022.

Prosecution Barrister Brendan Kelly gave an outline of the evidence to the jury of seven men and five women at the Central Criminal Court in Cork today.

Mr Kelly said that the accused admitted his involvement in the crash in a garda interview.
He added that the evidence would be that the Ukrainian man admitted to friends that he had consumed alcohol at the time and left the scene of the crash.
The case, which is being presided over by Judge Colin Daly, continues next Tuesday.