Driver ignored pleas to slow down before Debs ball crash, court hears

A man who drove at nearly twice the speed limit and crashed into a tree, resulting in the deaths of two teenage friends on their way to their Debs ball, ‘ignored pleas to slow down’, a court has heard. Anthony McGinn, 61, is to be sentenced next Wednesday, May 14, after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of best friends Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohamed, 16, on July 31, 2023. He also admitted to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Dlava's sister, Avin Mohammed, on the same occasion. McGinn was placed in a ‘position of trust’ to drive the teens to the Debs ball in Monaghan Town that evening, Monaghan Circuit Court heard. However, after travelling at ‘excessive speeds’ of 151 km/h in an 80 km/h zone, on a wet road, the white BMW skidded and crashed into a tree on a section of the N54 at Legnakelly near Clones, killing Keia and Dlava and seriously injuring Dlava’s sister, Avin. Dlava Mohammed with her sister Avin Mohammed before the fatal crash On Wednesday, distressing scenes unfolded at Monaghan Circuit Court during the sentencing hearing as family and friends of Kiea and Dlava saw their final moments when the speeding car skidded and crashed into the tree. Dashcam footage from a vehicle travelling behind McGinn’s white BMW showed the car travelling at speed before skidding to the other side of the road and crashing into a tree. Distraught family and friends let out gasps and became visibly upset and left the courtroom for a time. Inspector Ann-Marie Lardner told the court ‘considerable speed’ caused the white BMW to crash when McGinn drove at speeds of 151 km/h in an 80 km/h zone before the car skidded on a wet road and into a tree on the opposite site of the road at an impact speed of 121.5 km/h. Kiea McCann The court also heard McGinn was ‘put in a position of trust’ to drive the teenagers to their Debs Ball in Monaghan Town that evening in the BMW he recently purchased from his son-in-law. Following the crash, a nurse came on the scene, along with Kiea’s family members. Kiea and Dlava were pronounced dead at the scene while Avin, the front seat passenger, Oisin Clerkin and McGinn were brought to hospital. Inspector Lardner said McGinn was arrested in December 2023. In a memo of interviews, he said he didn’t remember overtaking a vehicle and didn’t know if he was speeding. When the dashcam was shown to him by Inspector Lardner, McGinn said: “I wouldn’t have a clue how fast I was going. “Jesus, I have no answer. I see my car sliding. I don’t know what speed I was doing,” McGinn said and admitted he knew the speed was 80 km/h. At that point, there was disruption in court when members of Kiea’s family became emotional and Kiea’s dad Frankie shouted in anger: “If this man won’t send you down. I’ll never forget you, you fu**ing b**tard.” In a statement to Gardaí, front seat passenger Oisin Clerkin said “All I know is he was speeding and playing music. I told him to slow down. He didn’t reply. He was driving really fast and it scared me. None of the girls said anything. Kiea looked scared. I said ‘Goodbye’ to Kiea and I woke up in hospital.” In victim impact statements read out by Inspector Lardner from family members, Dlava’s dad Mohammed said his daughter was ‘a piece of his heart’ and he will carry the pain of her loss for the rest of his life. Dlava Mohamed He also said he lost a part of all of children that day and he watches his wife wake up everyday with a broken heart. He said he thought when they came to Ireland from war-torn Syria they could build their dreams “but Dlava’s dreams are now buried with her”. “I want him to become a lesson, an example. I want the harshest punishment. I want justice, not revenge,” Mr Mohammed said. Dlava’s sister Avin - who suffered severe injuries in the crash - said the crash changed her life forever. “My sister came with me as I had no-one else to come. “Anthony began speeding. I remember I got angry and told him to stop. Then everything went black.” She said for months she didn't know her sister Dlava and friend Kiea had died. “My family couldn’t tell me. It broke me. I lost my sister and best friend. “I had to build my entire life from scratch and I will never be whole again. I am carrying the guilt I cannot shake because I asked my sister to come along. If only I went alone.” Kiea’s dad Frankie - who went to the scene of the crash and tried to revive Kiea and Dlava said Kiea was a “bright shining star, a gift from God,” with dreams of becoming a social worker. “She will never know her first love, get married or have a child of her own,” Frankie said, breaking down in tears. “She was more than the girl killed in the Debs crash.” “It’s a death sentence for my family. My wife and kids are broken. This isn’t a nightmare, it's life-long. Addressing McGinn, Frankie said: “Because of a decision you made, you took our daughter from our lives and our hearts.” In her statement, Kiea’s mother, Teresa, said she “trusted” McGinn to “take my child safely” to the Debs ball. Frankie and Teresa McCann with members of Dlava Mohamed's family at the grave of their daughter Kiea McCann as the headstone was completed for Kiea's 18th birthday “When we got to the scene, Kiea was already gone. Her dad tried CPR on her. Nothing would bring her back. “Kiea and her best friend were robbed of their lives. They were put side by side holding hands on the grass as me and my husband lay beside them.” Theresa said Kiea’s 18th birthday present was her headstone while what would have been her first day at college was her Month’s Mind. “All we have now is memories and a headstone with her photograph to look at,” said Theresa in her Victim Impact Statement. Counsel for McGinn, Breffni Gordon, said in mitigation McGinn entered an early guilty plea, was very seriously injured, expressed genuine remorse and formally apologised to all the families and friends of Kiea and Dlava. He had to endure the social stigma, lost his job and income and lost his relationship with his wife and three children. “It has had a catastrophic effect on him too.” Judge John Aylmer adjourned sentencing until next Wednesday, May 14 at 10am. 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