The family of tragic Shane Patton are to appear on the Claire Byrne Live show on RTE television tonight.
Shane’s heartbroken parents Julie and Martin, from Drumkeen, will tell of their heartache following the recent court case of the man found guilty of causing their son’s death.
Eamonn Lynch, who had more than 400 convictions, killed Shane when the car he was driving at 165kph struck the 18 year old who was emerging from a side road.
He received 18 months in jail after the Director of Public Prosecutions recommended a charge of careless driving causing death instead of dangerous driving causing death which has a penalty of up to 10 years in jail.
The Pattons traveled to Dublin this week to record the show with the RTE presenter in a bid to tell their story.
Mrs Patton told Donegal Daily that herself and her husband wanted to explain their case and to highlight the issue for other families who may find themselves in similar situations in future.
“We went to Dublin to record the interview because they were afraid that we would get too emotional and perhaps we would have.
“We wanted to explain our situation and how we felt helpless in court because we had never been there before.
“The Gardai were very helpful but they were only acting on what the DPP directed them to do,” she said.
The Claire Byrne Live show will be broadcast on RTE 1 tonight at 10.35pm.
The late Shane Patton with his mum Julie.
