The mother of a teenager killed in the wrong-way crash on the M9 in County Kildare has defended her son, saying he was ‘lost.’
Ireland is grieving the deaths of five teenagers, who were killed after the car they were travelling in the wrong way on the motorway smashed into a family vehicle on Sunday, August 16. The five young occupants of the BMW were killed – Kamil Pustkowski, 17, Jack Kennedy, 17, Jeremy O’Brien, 18, Joe Carthy, 15, and 16-year-old Alex McCarthy.
Three sisters and a child travelling in the other car, Ella Hendricken, Niamh Kinsella and Alma Kinsella, and Alma’s seven-year-old son, were injured and remain in hospital.
Mother speaks out after online rumours
The complex case unleashed hatred towards the killed teenagers and their families, with online rumours accusing Kamil of being a gang ‘leader.’ Now Kamil’s mum, Emilia Pustkowska, from Limerick, has spoken out after criticism against the parents.
She said her son had taken responsibility for his previous actions that led to him being brought before a court, but his case was adjourned several times, reportedly due to a solicitors’ strike, and twice due to evidence not being ready. His behaviour had escalated so far she was begging for the justice system to save her son.
‘Nobody listened to me’
Ms Pustkowska told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘Nobody listened to me. Do you believe I wanted my child in the prison? But if you see what’s going on, you have to find different solutions.
‘At least, if he was in the prison, maybe he will have time to mature. Probably then someone else would have been sitting in the car.
‘That’s not any better. But at least that wouldn’t be Kamil.’
She said gardai contacted her about possible car offences involving Kamil in January 2025, a turning point when things ‘snowballed.’ He was accused of house burglaries, but Kamil’s mum said he is unsure whether he was involved and no charges were brought in relation to them.
A court date on July 22 at the Children’s Court in Smithfield, Dublin, and another case scheduled for Limerick on July 27 were reportedly adjourned, despite Kamil pleading guilty to some offences.
‘I can’t keep him at home’
Ms Pustkowska said: ‘I said to that judge, “I can’t keep him at home.” That’s the thing. For two years I’m living as a prisoner because I have locked everything.’
Kamil was diagnosed with autism and had struggled to keep friends, the mother said. While she accepts his crimes, she insists Kamil was groomed and picked on, and that it is unfair to place all the blame on him.
Gardai is said to have told her that Kamil was not behind the wheel of the BMW. She told the outlet: ‘I know he wasn’t [the leader]. He wasn’t able to lead himself. So how was he the leader? We know that. He was lost… not the leader.’
Ms Pustkowska, who is an accountant, said she is ‘so sorry’ for the families of the crash victims. But she argued that ‘you even can’t say sorry to the family, the others from the other car, because the people will eat you.’
The funerals of Kamil, Joe and Alex took place on Friday. Jeremy was laid to rest in Askea, Carlow, today, while Jack is due to be cremated tomorrow afternoon.
Jeremy’s mum spoke to the Irish Sun ahead of her son’s funeral, saying she wished she could apologise to the injured family. She said: ‘I have said prayers for them and I hope to God that they can heal. I am not proud of what happened and I don’t condone what they did – I wish my son had never got into that car.’
