Teenage girls died ‘holding hands' in school ball car crash
Two teenage girls were laid next to each other 'holding hands' after they died in a car crash on their way to their school-leavers' ball, a court has heard.
Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohamed, 16, died after the car they were travelling in crashed into a tree in County Monaghan, Ireland, on July 31 2023.
Anthony McGinn, 61, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, which led to the girls' deaths.
He also pleaded guilty to causing serious bodily harm to Auin Mohamed, Dlava's sister, who was also in the car but survived the incident with severe injuries.
McGinn was put in a 'position of trust' but ignored the girls' pleas for him to 'slow down' as he raced at nearly double the speed limit in a 50mph zone, Monaghan Circuit Court was told.
His white BMW then veered off course and smashed into a tree at around 75mph in the Legnakelly area, killing Kiea and Dlava, who were best friends.
'Everything went black'
Oisin Clerkin, who was sitting in the front seat, said he urged McGinn to slow down but he did not respond, the court heard.
'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,' Mr Clerkin told the Gardaí (the Republic of Ireland's police force) in a statement.
Family and friends of the two girls were shown footage of the moments after the crash when McGinn was arrested.
He admitted that he had 'no answer' for his actions and said he did not know what speed he had reached.
After the footage was played, Kiea's father shouted at McGinn in court.
Kiea's mother, Teresa, told the court how she had 'trusted' McGinn to take her child to the ball.
'When we got to the scene, Kiera was already gone. Her dad tried CPR on her. Nothing would bring her back,' she told the court.
'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.'
Ms McCann then revealed that her daughter's 18th birthday present was her headstone.
Frankie, Kiea's father, described his daughter as a 'gift from God' and described the tragedy as a 'death sentence' for their family.
Dlava's father, who migrated to Ireland from war-torn Syria, said his daughter's dreams had died with her and said he wanted 'justice, not revenge'.
Recalling the crash, Dlava's sister Alva said she had told McGinn to 'stop' before 'everything went black'.
McGinn was seriously injured in the incident and had shown remorse by apologising to the victims' families, Breffni Gordon, his defence lawyer, told the court.
He also lost his job, income and his relationship with his wife and children.
Sentencing will take place on May 14.
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